CRCE and Related Activities Core

ABSTRACT – CANCER RESEARCH CAREER ENHANCEMENT AND RELATED ACTIVITIES
Duke Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Research Career Development (OCRCD) is committed to the
education and training of the next generation of physicians, scientists and health professionals. OCRCD is
embedded within the Duke University School of Medicine (SoM) and the Duke University Health System (DUHS),
providing a rich, diverse academic environment dedicated to education, training, research, and clinical care of
cancer patients. Duke University also has top-ranked graduate and residency programs and a diverse faculty,
providing an abundance of qualified and seasoned mentors for our trainees. The specific resources at Duke
University and the SoM that form the foundation for OCRCD include; the Duke University Graduate School;
graduate programs (Molecular Cancer Biology (MCB), Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB), Development and
Stem Cell Biology (DSCB), the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP); ACGME-accredited and top-ranked
residency programs in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Radiation Oncology and Surgery; ACGME-accredited and
top-ranked fellowship programs in Gynecological Oncology, Medical Oncology, Neuro-Oncology, Pediatric
Oncology and Surgical Oncology; CTSA supported TL1 and KL2 educational programs; the Burroughs Wellcome
Fund supported Office of Physician-Scientist Development; the Duke Office of Clinical Research; fifteen cancer
focused T32s (7 focused on graduate students and 8 focused on post-doctoral fellows); and an NCI funded P20
focused on Translational Cancer Disparities Research and Education Partnership with North Carolina Central
University (a local Historically Black Colleges and Universities).
The Office of Health Equity in close partnership with the Duke CTSA, Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) is firmly
committed to diversity, inclusion and reducing cancer disparities, further enriching the training environment.
Duke University is ranked third in the nation for research universities in matriculating African American students,
and underrepresented minorities comprising 20% of our medical students and 13% of our residents.
The OCRCD is led by Gerard Blobe, co-leader of the Solid Therapy Tumor (STT) program, a physician-
scientist with laboratory and clinical research experience, and director of the Lefkowitz Society, a SoM post-
graduate program for physician-scientists. Dr. Blobe reports to the DCI Steering Committee and chairs the
OCRCD Oversight Committee. The OCRCD supports cancer-oriented trainees across the training continuum,
from high school students, staff to junior faculty, with a comprehensive range of educational, mentoring, and
career development resources by leveraging DCI-specific efforts with the broad array of educational and
mentoring resources already available in this rich environment, while providing cancer expertise, focus and
engagement of DCI faculty to these SoM and DUHS resources. The goal of these efforts is to develop a well-
trained and diverse workforce equipped to handle the challenges of cancer research and clinical care.