Training in Global Cancer Research
Global research training equips scientists with the skills and mentorship needed to address cancer research questions relevant to local contexts worldwide. Studying cancer in global settings, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), offers unique opportunities to advance knowledge in various areas: the biology and genetics of cancer, cancer epidemiology, including geographically endemic cancers, and population sciences. A well-trained workforce is essential for pursuing unique opportunities in global cancer research.
The 2021–2025 CGH Strategic Plan identifies global cancer research training as a key goal, with several priority areas that fall into three main categories: supporting cancer research education by identifying and addressing curricular gaps and facilitating learning opportunities; supporting cancer research investigators; and building environments that foster the growth of the global cancer research workforce. These priority areas will help create a diverse research workforce, aligning with the NCI Equity and Inclusion Program.
How is global research training supported at NCI? Global research training at the NCI is primarily supported through Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs). NOFOs provide details on applicant eligibility, types of supported training, and guidance for application development and submission. Applications are peer-reviewed, and meritorious grants are considered for awards. Additionally, the NCI Center for Global Health (CGH) participates in global training opportunities led by the NIH’s Fogarty International Center.
Who receives global research training support? CGH primarily supports scientists from LMICs committed to a career in cancer research, preferably at the postdoctoral level of their career.
Funding for Global Research Training
The Center for Global Health supports three types of research training in all areas of cancer research, including cancer prevention, control, behavioral sciences, population sciences, and translational research. This includes the following:
- Improving Global Research Skills: We support global cancer research skills through our fellowship programs.
- Supporting Career Development: We collaborate with NCI Divisions, Offices and Centers; and with Fogarty International Center to support career development of scientists interested in global cancer research.
- Building Research Environments: We support the building of research environments in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) through NCI’s Global Training for Research and Equity in Cancer (GlobTREC) initiative.
Global Research Training in Practice
In this section, we highlight the work of early career scientists working in various global settings. These features of global research training in practice will provide insights into the institutional and socio-cultural context in which scientists conduct cancer research. They also provide a window into experiences of patients and research teams in global settings and help understand how investigators are developing and addressing relevant cancer research questions.
Research Training Resources
Community of Practice
The Community of Practice for Research Training is a global learning community of cancer research peers and mentors that facilitates career advancement and education for LMIC researchers. This community meets virtually and there are scheduled activities and programs on topics related to cancer research and research career development.
Please contact Dr. Fatou Jallow with any questions regarding the community of practice.
Training Resources
A list of training resources in cancer research across NIH is noted below. These training options, delivered mostly through virtual format, are free-of-charge and open to domestic and international researchers and health professionals of various career levels. These include web-based lectures and seminars and virtual learning courses and workshops.
- Lecture/Seminar: No registration required. Asynchronous: Learn at your own pace.
- Course/Workshop: Registration may be required depending on the schedule.
- Resource/Tool: Exposure assessment tools, statistical tools, and survey instruments.
While this is not an exhaustive list, it may be a useful resource and reference, especially for those starting their careers in cancer research.
| Training Title | Area/Discipline | Career/Educational Level | Training Delivery | Training Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCI Center for Global Health Global Cancer Research and Control Seminar Series | Various Topics in Global Cancer Research | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Overcoming the Undruggable Nature of the Most Common Human Oncogene K-Ras. NIH Director’s Lecture Series | Cancer Biology and Genetics | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Mutant p53 Activities in Mouse Tumor Models. NIH Director’s Lecture Series | Cancer Biology and Genetics | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Human Oncogenic Viruses: Nature, Discovery, and Running Around in Circles. NIH Director’s Lecture Series | Cancer Biology and Genetics | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Race and the Molecular Biology of Breast Cancer: A Pathologist’s View From the Bench to the Bedside. NIH Director’s Lecture Series | Cancer Biology and Genetics | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Deciphering Cancer Genomes and Networks. NIH Director’s Lecture Series | Cancer Biology and Genetics | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Advancing Connections between Implementation Science and Genomic Medicine. Implementation Science Webinar Series | Implementation Research | Researchers, clinicians (all career levels) | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| NCI Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences - Implementation Science Events | Implementation Research | Researchers, clinicians (all career levels) | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Clinical Trials 101. NCI Education and Training for Health Professionals Webinar | Clinical and Translational Research | Researchers, clinicians (all career levels) | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Clinical Trials 102. NCI Education and Training for Health Professionals Webinar | Clinical and Translational Research | Researchers, clinicians (all career levels) | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Technologies to Improve Early Cancer Detection in Low Resource Settings: Idea to Field Evaluation. NCI Center for Global Health Seminar Series | Clinical and Translational Research | Researchers, clinicians (all career levels) | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program (CPFP) Annual Advances in Cancer Prevention Lecture Series | Cancer Control Continuum | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| A Community Approach to Breast Cancer Prevention: Addressing Health Disparities. NIH Director’s Lecture Series | Cancer Prevention | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Improving Immunotherapy Strategies for Cancer | Cancer Treatment - Immunotherapy | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Preclinical Cancer-Target Validation: How Not To Be Wrong. NIH Director’s Lecture Series | Cancer Treatment - Immunotherapy | Health professionals, researchers, graduate and medical school trainees | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Scientific Writing from Reader’s Perspective: Day 1 | Scientific Writing, Career Development | Researchers (all career levels) | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Scientific Writing from Reader’s Perspective: Day 2 | Scientific Writing, Career Development | Researchers (all career levels) | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Meet the Experts: Getting a Grant from the NCI | Career Development, Grant Writing | Researchers, clinicians (all career levels) | Online | Lecture/Seminar |
| Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research | Clinical and Translational Research | Healthcare and public health professionals, medical and dental students | Online | Course/Workshop |
| NIH Summer Course in Clinical and Translational Research | Clinical and Translational Research | Doctoral graduate students, early career PhD investigators | Online | Course/Workshop |
| Translational Research in Clinical Oncology | Clinical and Translational Research | Clinical and postdoctoral fellows | Online | Course/Workshop |
| Mentored Research Program for Early Career Bioethics Scholars From Low- and Middle-Income Countries | Ethics and Regulation | Early Career Researchers | In-person | Course/Workshop |
| Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research | Ethics and Regulation | Researchers (all career levels) | Online | Course/Workshop |
| Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (TIDIRC) | Dissemination and Implementation | Doctoral or Master’s Degree holders (all career lavels) | Online | Course/Workshop |
| Multilevel Intervention Training Institute | Intervention Research | Researchers with Doctoral Degrees (all career levels) | Online | Course/Workshop |
| Graduate Partnerships Program at the National Human Genome Research Institute | Research Skills | PhD and Medical students | In-person | Course/Workshop |
| Statistical Analysis of Research Data | Research Design, Data Analysis | Clinical and postdoctoral fellows | Online | Course/Workshop |
| Reproducibility Training | Research Skills | Researchers (all career levels) | Online | Course/Workshop |
| Good Clinical Practice eLearning Course | Social and Behavioral Research | Researchers (involved in clinical trials) | Online | Course/Workshop |
| E-Source: Introductory Social and Behavioral Science Training Materials | Social and Behavioral Research | Health professionals, researchers, medical students | Online | Resource/Tool |
| Group-Evaluated Measures (GEM). National Cancer Institute database for researchers with information about behavioral, social science, and other scientific measures | Research Skills | Researchers (all career levels) | Online | Resource/Tool |
| Descriptive Epidemiology Resources (Cohort Analysis Webtool, NCI Cancer Atlas, MP-SIR SEER Stat) | Epidemiology | Researchers (all career levels) | Online | Resource/Tool |
| Cancer Registration and Surveillance Modules | Epidemiology | Researchers (all career levels) | Online | Resource/Tool |
| Study Design and Planning Tools | Research Design, Data Analysis | Clinical and postdoctoral fellows | Online | Resource/Tool |
| Cancer Risk Assessment Macros and Software Programs | Research Design, Data Analysis | Clinical and postdoctoral fellows | Online | Resource/Tool |
| PubMed Online Training | Literature Search, Scientific Writing | Researchers (all career levels) | Online | Resource/Tool |
| COMETS (COnsortium of METabolomics Studies) Analytics Web Tool | Cancer Biology and Genetics | Researchers, clinicians (all career levels) | Online | Resource/Tool |
- NCI YouTube Site: For a larger database of lectures and videos on NCI-supported cancer research and cancer topics in general, please browse through the NCI YouTube Channel.
- NCI-supported tools and services: For additional resources for cancer researchers, please visit the directory of NCI-supported tools and services.