Cancer Research

The Predoctoral Cancer Training Program is oriented toward providing a strong cancer-related training environment that supplements the basic degree requirements and goals of the degree-granting departments within the University of Virginia.

It is a Ph.D. program that typically requires four to six years of study. Independent research is at the core of the program. During the first two years, students complete formal course requirements and rotate through 2-3 different laboratories. Thesis labs and mentors are chosen after completion of the first year. Once students have selected thesis laboratories, they become members of the associated department. Departments participating in the Cancer Training Program each have their own criteria to assess student progress.

In most cases, students prepare and defend a detailed research proposal during the second year. Successful completion of this process qualifies the student to advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.

First year students are strongly encouraged to arrive in July to begin their first research rotation. This allows the student to become acclimated to the department and program before classes begin in the fall. It also provides them sufficient time to become immersed in a research problem before the demands of course work begin.

Designated faculty monitor the progress of the incoming class throughout their first year. Students meet with their committees several times during the year to discuss course work, rotations, adjustment to graduate school, and any problems that arise. This gives students direct access to faculty members and helps the faculty learn about the student’s interests and background.

Students perform 2-3 rotations in laboratories of their choice during their first year in graduate school. These rotations provide an opportunity to become familiar with specific laboratory and research areas while performing small research projects. Students typically choose to begin their rotations during the summer prior to the beginning of courses so that they can become acquainted with research opportunities before classes begin. After completion of their rotations at the end of the first year of study, students then choose a research lab and thesis advisor.

The research programs of faculty participants in the Cancer Training Program are nationally and internationally renowned. They are well-funded from both federal and private sources, providing student research activities with excellent financial and technological support. Laboratories are well-equipped with modern and sophisticated instrumentation to enable advanced experimentation in cancer research.

• New applicants to the graduate program in Biomedical Sciences who indicate cancer as their proposed focus of interest.
• Second and third year students in all the participating departments who have completed the core curriculum, rotated in 2-3 labs, and have chosen cancer-related research in the lab of a mentor from the list of training faculty.
• Medical students who are either part of the Medical Scientist Training Program [MSTP], or have completed the 2-year basic science curriculum and who now wish to obtain a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree in cancer research.

Awards are made on the basis of commitment to cancer-related research, evidence of promise as a productive scientist, and (when applicable) performance in the core curriculum and in research rotations.

All students in the Cancer Training Program will receive a stipend that is competitive with that offered by other institutions. Tuition, fees, health insurance and travel costs to scientific meetings are also covered.