Career Enhancement Program

PROJECT SUMMARY – CAREER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (CEP) The goal of the DF/HCC Prostate SPORE Career Enhancement Program (CEP) is to provide resources, financial support, and mentorship for faculty who are transitioning or have recently transitioned to independent positions (Instructor or Assistant Professor). The overarching goal of the SPORE CEP is to

attract and nurture investigators as they develop careers translational prostate cancer research in clinical, basic, and population science. In turn, the DF/HCC Prostate SPORE program as a whole will greatly benefit through interactions with fresh and diverse ideas and talent. Applications for at least two annual CEP awards

will be solicited broadly across DF/HCC and Massachusetts and will undergo a fair and transparent review process overseen by CEP leadership (Drs. Paul Nguyen, Lorelei Mucci, and Adam Feldman). Targeted outreach will focus on women and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (UREG), who will be actively

encouraged to apply and will be fully supported once funded, both during the CEP funding and beyond. We have established an Advisory Committee to address inclusion and diversity through recruitment and retention of UREG and women within the SPORE. To develop the pipeline, an additional annual pre-CEP

award, supported by institutional funds, will be awarded to a graduate student, post-doc, or clinical fellow from an underrepresented group. Request for Applications will be announced by e-mail and social media, posted throughout the DF/HCC institutions via message boards and featured on the DF/HCC Prostate

SPORE and Harvard Catalyst websites, and outreach by CEP leaders. The CEP program will help advance the research careers of faculty by providing funding for independent projects, infrastructure and resources through the cores, interactions with established prostate cancer investigators through SPORE meetings and

educational sessions, and by establishing a formalized mentorship program. The CEP program will build upon a strong prior track record of success in enhancing and supporting career development, and is a critical piece of the overall DF/HCC Prostate SPORE program in our mission to train and develop the next

generation of leaders in prostate cancer translational research.