Montefiore And Einstein Receive NIH Cancer Research Training Grant

Program to Groom Exemplary Residents to be Surgeon Scientists

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Dec 16, 2015, 01:00 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ability to discover the inner workings of cancerous tumors is incumbent upon a scientist's understanding of tumor pathophysiology and is essential for identifying novel targets for therapy. Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC) and the NCI-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC) today announced receipt of The Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Institutional Research Training Grant (T32), "Training of Surgeons for Studies of the Tumor Microenvironment," which provides $1.18 million in funding over five years, to equip future surgeon-scientists with the basic research background and clinical experience needed to succeed in the rapidly evolving scientific field.

This new and highly competitive program is designed so that surgical residents in training spend two additional years in hands-on training as research fellows focused on the study of malignant tumors, the role of the immune system in tumor growth inhibition and the identification of emerging novel targets. The 15 faculty members guiding this training, both as educators and mentors, represent six clinical and four basic science departments. Participating research fellows are expected to submit at least two abstracts to national meetings and at least one original manuscript for peer review by the completion of their training.

"With this grant, a new generation of surgeons is being prepared to transfer the latest scientific knowledge to patients' bedsides and back again to therapeutic research settings," said Steven K. Libutti, M.D., F.A.C.S., principal investigator for the grant and director, MECCC, professor and vice chairman in the Department of Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, professor in the Department of Genetics at Einstein and associate director of clinical services at AECC. "By bringing together an accomplished team of educators and mentors with a proven track record of research, we can successfully address an unmet need in the preparation of surgeons for a career in cancer research. Ultimately this will translate into better care and improved outcomes for all impacted by cancer."

The trainees will participate in courses at Einstein that focus on the Responsible Conduct of Research, Quantitative Skills for Biomedical Research, and a Grant Writing Seminar.

"Scientific contributions made by investigator-surgeons throughout history demonstrate the powerful impact of training surgeons in specialties like oncology," said Robert E. Michler, M.D., surgeon-in-chief, Montefiore; professor and chairman, Department of Surgery, professor and chairman, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Montefiore and Einstein; and co-director, Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care. "This program has been conceived to give its graduates the skills and the curiosity to carry forward a legacy in the advancement of the science and art of medicine. The Department of Surgery is proud to be able to make this training available to surgical residents through the receipt of this prestigious award."

The NCI grant award number to Montefiore-Einstein is T32CA200561.

About Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Health System is a premier academic health system and the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Combining nationally-recognized clinical excellence with a population health perspective that focuses on the comprehensive needs of the communities it serves, Montefiore delivers coordinated, compassionate, science-driven care where, when and how patients need it most. Montefiore consists of seven hospitals and an extended care facility with a total of 2,455 beds, a School of Nursing, and state-of-the-art primary and specialty care provided through a network of more than 150 locations across the region, including the largest school health program in the nation and a home health program. The Children's Hospital at Montefiore is consistently named in U.S. News' "America's Best Children's Hospitals." Montefiore's partnership with Einstein advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. The health system derives its inspiration for excellence from its patients and community, and continues to be on the frontlines of developing innovative approaches to care. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter; like us on Facebook; view us on YouTube.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2015-2016 academic year, Einstein is home to 731 M.D. students, 193 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 278 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2015, Einstein received $148 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Through its extensive affiliation network involving Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center—Einstein's founding hospital, and three other hospital systems in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island, Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.