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Training the Twenty-First Century Cancer Epidemiologist

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Abstract

To assess and advance training of twenty-first century cancer epidemiologists, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) sought to obtain a snapshot of the cancer epidemiology training landscape by conducting a survey across academic institutions and cancer centers, focusing on four key training areas driving current cancer epidemiology research (“drivers”): (1) collaboration, (2) novel methods/technologies, (3) multilevel analysis, and (4) knowledge integration. Complementary to the survey, we conducted a portfolio analysis of active NCI-funded training grants. In the present report, we provide our findings from this effort and contribute to the on-going conversation regarding the training of next-generation cancer epidemiologists. Analyses and insights gained from conversations with leaders/educators across 24 academic institutions/cancer centers and the portfolio analysis of training grants echoed contemporaneous conversation that cancer epidemiology training must adapt to meet the needs of the changing research environment. Currently, with the exception of novel methods/technologies, cancer epidemiology trainees receive the majority of their training in collaboration, multilevel approaches, and knowledge integration/translation either informally, ad hoc, or not at all; exposure to these identified drivers varied considerably by institution, mentor, and other external as well as internal factors.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the dedication, thoughtfulness, and time that each surveyed educator/faculty member devoted to answering the survey questions. We are appreciative of their generosity and the insights they have shared during our conversation with them. We would like to acknowledge Dr. Margaret Spitz’s for her insights and time spent reviewing the materials.

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Author notes

  1. T. K. Lam and J. A. Lavigne contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Shady Grove Building/Room 4E212, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA

    T. K. Lam, X. Qadir & M. J. Khoury

  2. Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    J. A. Lavigne

  3. Office of Public Health Genomics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    M. J. Khoury

  4. Office of Disease Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    S. D. Schully

Authors
  1. T. K. Lam
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  2. J. A. Lavigne
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  3. X. Qadir
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  4. M. J. Khoury
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  5. S. D. Schully
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. K. Lam.

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The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Lam, T.K., Lavigne, J.A., Qadir, X. et al. Training the Twenty-First Century Cancer Epidemiologist. J Canc Educ 34, 1181–1189 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-018-1426-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-018-1426-5

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