Ovarian Cancer Training Program at the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

This Award funded the initiation of a mentored research experience in ovarian cancer biology at the Dana FarberHarvard Cancer Center. The primary aims, articulated in the Statement of Work, included creating a mechanism to identify and select outstanding postdoctoral fellows who had a commitment to serious multi-year experience in research that was directly related to a topic in or immediately applicable to ovarian cancer. The second aim was to provide a mentored experience for selected fellows. The third aim specified the delivery of feedback to the trainees by mentors and the program PI. The final aim described a rigorous review process for the program. These aims are all being addressed. Of the four senior post doctoral fellows selected to work with Faculty at Harvard Medical School in the fields of oncogenesis, signal transduction, pathology and mouse models and cell biology, one fellow graduated from the program and is successfully transitioning towards an independent academic research career. The vacancy was competed for and filled successfully. A new faculty member with extensive training in biologic models was added to the program to mentor the fellows, who continue to pursue their research productively at 3 different institutions within the Dana FarberHarvard Cancer Center.