The Department offers a postdoctoral fellowship program to provide intensive training in Cancer Prevention and Control designed to provide trainees with a comprehensive appreciation of the complex interactions among biological, behavioral, psychological, and community variables in this area of research. This program is supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (CA81137, Redd, PI).

More than one million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year and more than half a million Americans die as a result of cancer. Indeed, cancer has recently become the number one cause of death in the United States. Because lifestyle and environmental influences account for a substantial portion of the cancer burden, the importance of efforts in cancer prevention and control is increasingly recognized. Clearly, increased efforts in cancer prevention are needed. Two recent reports prepared for the NCI have emphasized the need for new efforts in biopsychosocial research (i.e., the interactions among biological, psychological, and social processes in cancer etiology and progression), as well as research initiatives in basic behavioral and social research aimed at increasing our understanding of the mechanisms of behavioral change (e.g., smoking) from the individual level (e.g., risk perception) to the group (e.g., family influences) and society (e.g., social class) levels. These reports have also noted the critical need to develop a cadre of highly trained research scientists with the necessary interdisciplinary skills to effectively and efficiently address these complex issues.

The goal of the fellowship program is to teach trainees to "talk the talk" of the multiple relevant disciplines through one-on-one interactions with experienced mentors, lectures, seminars and journal clubs. The program also emphasizes learning to “walk the walk” of doing interdisciplinary research, through hands-on participation in federally-funded research programs under the tutelage of experienced mentors, to provide the skills necessary for a career in cancer research. Trainees will have: an advanced degree in Psychology, Medicine, Public Health, or a related discipline, have demonstrated research abilities, and shown a strong commitment to a research career. Our goal is to provide a strong foundation for trainees interested in careers as independent researchers in Cancer Prevention and Control.

Mentoring Faculty

• Hoda Badr
• Jia Chen
• Michael A. Diefenbach
• Joel Erblich
• Sheryl Green
• Simon J. Hall
• Steven H. Itzkowitz
• Lina H. Jandorf
• Sharon L. Manne
• Guy H. Montgomery
• William H. Redd
• Julie B. Schnur
• Jeffrey H. Silverstein
• Heiddis B. Valdimarsdottir
• Mary Snow Wolff