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Career Outcomes of Graduates of R25E Short-Term Cancer Research Training Programs

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Abstract

The efficacy of short-term cancer research educational programs in meeting its immediate goals and long-term cancer research career objectives has not been well studied. The purpose of this report is to describe the immediate impact on, and the long-term career outcomes of, 499 medical students and graduate students who completed the Cancer Research Experiences for Students (CaRES) program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) from 1999 to 2013. In summer 2014, all 499 program alumni were located and 96.4 % (481 of 499) agreed to complete a longitudinal tracking survey. About 23 % of CaRES alumni (110 of 499) have published at least one cancer-related paper. Overall 238 cancer-related papers have been published by CaRES alumni, one third of this number being first-authored publications. Nearly 15 % (71 of 481 respondents) reported that their current professional activities include cancer research, primarily clinical research and outcomes research. Of these 71 individuals, 27 (38 %) have completed their training and 44 (62 %) remain in training. Of all respondents, 58 % reported that they administered care to cancer patients and 30 % reported other cancer-related professional responsibilities such as working with a health department or community group on cancer control activities. Of the 410 respondents not currently engaged in cancer research, 118 (29 %) stated intentions to conduct cancer research in the next few years. Nearly all respondents (99.6 %) recommended CaRES to today’s students. Challenging short-term educational cancer research programs for medical students and graduate health professional students can help them refine and solidify their career plans, with many program alumni choosing cancer research careers.

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Acknowledgments

The CaRES program is funded by National Cancer Institute grant 5R25CA76023. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official view of the funding agency. The authors thank Mr. Greg Caudle and Ms. Judy Baker of the UAB School of Public Health and Ms. Sandra Reid, formerly of the UAB School of Health Professions, for their assistance.

Conflict of Interest

None of the authors have a conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Renee A. Desmond

  2. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL, 35294-0022, USA

    Luz A. Padilla, Charles T. Prickett & John W. Waterbor

  3. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    Casey L. Daniel

  4. School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Raam Venkatesh

  5. School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    C. Michael Brooks

Authors
  1. Renee A. Desmond
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  2. Luz A. Padilla
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  3. Casey L. Daniel
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  4. Charles T. Prickett
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  5. Raam Venkatesh
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  6. C. Michael Brooks
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  7. John W. Waterbor
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John W. Waterbor.

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Desmond, R.A., Padilla, L.A., Daniel, C.L. et al. Career Outcomes of Graduates of R25E Short-Term Cancer Research Training Programs. J Canc Educ 31, 93–100 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0786-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0786-8

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