Preparing Nurse Scientists to Lead the Future of Oncology Research - Until recently, the concept of the “oncology nurse” was limited to those having extra competency in administering
chemotherapy, coordinating care delivery, or working with investigators to screen, enroll, and manage patients
in clinical trials. With increasing recognition of the ability of PhD oncology nurse researchers to walk seamlessly
between the “bedside and the bench” and acquire high value data, there is an urgent need for providing new
state-of-the- art postdoctoral-level training in oncology for nurse-scientists. Nurses have an unduplicated role in
patient care, monitoring overall well-being, managing symptoms, and developing a personal relationship over
time with the patients and families. Research results obtained by nurse-scientists who can leverage these skills
and interactions to conduct meaningful research on both the biological aspects of treatment response and the
totality of the patient experience can provide important insights that cannot be obtained by other health care
workers. And, as in the case with the success of the field of “symptom science”, they can change the way patient
care is delivered as well as improving patient outcomes. However, despite increasing recognition of the unique
and valuable role of the PhD nurse-scientist, there is an acknowledged shortage of these pivotal researchers in
oncology.
The Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology Scholar Training Program provides a unique opportunity to address this
gap by providing training opportunities for nurse-scientists with PhDs (or equivalent) in advanced cancer
research skills and career-building opportunities needed to develop successful research careers in oncology.
Indeed, with over 54-NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the US, there is a significant need for
a diverse new generation of nurse scientists with the cutting-edge postdoctoral research training to lead essential
patient-oriented research in oncology. While there are now 130+ programs leading to the PhD degree in Nursing,
including one here at the University at Buffalo's School of Nursing, training in oncology is significantly lacking
and although the NIH Reporter lists 19 T32 training grants for nurse-scientists, at this point in time, few are
funded through the NCI with a focus on cancer-related training. Moreover, for nurse-scientists to move up in their
career, postdoctoral research training and career development and mentorship, such as afforded by the K12
mechanisms, has become the requirement for careers in either academia or clinical practice. Yet, there are no
K12 programs for nurse scientists in oncology at this time in the US. Our new K12 program, led by a team of
outstanding advisors and faculty, is designed to prepare a new generation of diverse, PhD educated nurse
scientists in oncology, giving them front-line opportunities to conduct innovative, independent clinical and
translational research and providing them with outstanding career development opportunities.
