Purdue Interdisciplinary Cancer Research Training - ABSTRACT To train the next generation of cancer researchers with interdisciplinary team science expertise, we propose establishing the Purdue Interdisciplinary Cancer Research Training (PICRT) program. PICRT leverages the research strength and breadth of the Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research (PICR), a longstanding NCI-designated basic science cancer center. The PICRT program fills a significant gap as, despite the strengths of PICR, there are currently no existing NIH training opportunities for Ph.D. students with a focus on cancer research at Purdue. PICRT is designed to train Ph.D. students in interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and innovative critical thinking across cancer research domains. These competencies are essential for trainees to effectively collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, driving progress from basic discovery and prevention to treatment and clinical application. The objectives for the proposed training program are: 1) enhance knowledge and skills in interdisciplinary cancer research; 2) deliver enhanced training to increase interdisciplinary and collaborative cancer team science competence; 3) increase trainee cancer research career awareness and provide professional development opportunities and enhanced effective leadership skills. The PICRT program includes 35 preceptors distributed across the three broad interdisciplinary research Scientific Programs of PICR: Cell Identity and Signaling (CIS), Drug Delivery and Molecular Sensing (DDMS), and Targets, Structures, and Drugs (TSD). The composition of the preceptor pool spans 12 departments, including Biology, Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Biochemistry, and Chemical Engineering. The proposed program is led by a multi-PI team of leaders in cancer research with diverse research backgrounds and approaches, long-standing strengths in graduate education and administration, and substantial institutional support. Our program novelty comes from overcoming barriers that insulate researchers from working together as interdisciplinary research teams, using previous successful curricular development to enhance skills in working in interdisciplinary teams. In addition to more traditional training program components, novel aspects of PICRT are comprised of a course that includes training in interdisciplinary team science, clinical cancer applications, an embedding program in different interdisciplinary laboratories, opportunities to organize PICR events, and leadership experience in cancer-focused service learning/community projects. Our vision is that these broadly trained basic cancer researchers will be well suited to work in teams to identify, develop, and implement cancer prevention and treatment strategies in partnerships with clinicians. The robust interdisciplinary research environment at PICR, the excellent preceptor and Ph.D. pool, the strong leadership team, and the substantial institutional support poise us well to successfully train the next generation of highly competent cancer researchers and fill the gap at Purdue and the overall cancer research workforce.
