Career Enhancement Program

ABSTRACT: Career Enhancement Program (CEP). The goal of the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma SPORE (SPORE) Career Enhancement Program (CEP) is to provide support (both financial support and extensive mentorship) to highly promising, well-trained scientists interested in pursuing a career in translational lymphoma research. The CEP allows for the support each year of two highly promising investigators who are engaged in SPORE research. The extensive research and training base available at these two institutions as well as the infrastructure of the SPORE provides an outstanding foundation for the SPORE CEP. Successful candidates for the SPORE CEP are typically young investigators (senior postdoctoral fellows about to begin their faculty careers, and young faculty) in translational, multidisciplinary basic, clinical or population-based lymphoma research. On occasion, the CEP is used to assist more experienced, successful investigators interested in shifting their research focus toward translational lymphoma research. The SPORE CEP provides $50,000 for one year ($25,000 from SPORE funds and institutional support of $25,000 from the University of Iowa or Mayo Clinic resources) for each of two awards per year. A second year of support is possible based on progress and successful re-competition. During this most recent funding period (years 11- 15), 10 investigators, including two under-represented minority faculty and four women, received CEP awards and were each supported for 1 year. They all remain active translational investigators in the field of lymphoid malignancies with 9 of the 10 still involved with the SPORE and the 10th a successful investigator at another institution. The CEP awardee (Gupta) from a previous funding period was a co-leader on the current Project 3. In this renewal application, another CEP awardee (Feldman) has become Project 1 co-leader and also Director of the Biospecimens Core. The research of Dr. Z. Yang was important to the proposed Project 1 and Dr. Asmann's research has led to her role in the Biospecimens and Bioinformatics Core in this renewal. During the next funding period, the SPORE will maintain: (1) a stringent candidate selection system that encourages applications from minorities and women; (2) comprehensive trainee guidance by a mentor; (3) support through a scientific mentor group (the Individual Trainee Mentorship Committee) comprised of investigators with expertise in each trainee's area of interest; (4) multi-disciplinary research courses and on-going training activities such as the Multidisciplinary Cancer Seminar Series and Lymphoma Group meetings at both sites; (5) encouragement of collaboration with investigator group meetings at both sites; (6) encouragement of collaboration with investigators at both Iowa and Mayo and (7) opportunities for further research enhancement through the Developmental Research Program and full Projects.