Office of Cancer Research Career Development
The Office of Cancer Research Development (OCRCD) is led by Gerard Blobe, MD, PhD. In addition to directing training and education, Blobe serves on the MSTP Steering and Admissions committees and directs the Lefkowitz Society, a Duke School of Medicine post-graduate program for physician-scientists.
Overview
Duke Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Research Career Development (OCRCD) is embedded within the Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke University Health System, providing a rich, diverse academic environment committed to education, training, research, and clinical care of cancer patients. Duke University also has top-ranked graduate and residency programs and a diverse faculty providing an abundance of qualified and seasoned mentors for our trainees. Duke University, Duke Health, and the DCI are firmly committed to diversity and inclusion, with Duke University ranking third in the nation for research universities in matriculating African American students, and underrepresented minorities representing 20 percent of our medical students and 13 percent of our residents.
The OCRCD coordinates and develops innovative cancer-focused career enhancement activities across Duke University and Duke Health, while leveraging existing resources, to provide students, trainees, and DCI members and staff with a comprehensive range of educational, mentoring, and career development resources. The goal of these efforts is to develop a well-trained and diverse workforce equipped to handle the challenges of cancer research and clinical care.
The resources at Duke University and the Duke University Medical School that form the OCRCD's foundation include:
- Duke University Medical School and Graduate School
- Duke Graduate programs (Molecular Cancer Biology (MCB), Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB), Development and Stem Cell Biology (DSCB), and the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
- ACGME-accredited residency programs in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Radiation Oncology, and Surgery
- ACGME-accredited fellowship programs (Adult and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Gynecologic Oncology, Neuro-Oncology)
- CTSA-supported programs; cancer-focused T32 research training grants, including seven focused on graduate students and eight focused on post-doctoral fellows; the Burroughs Wellcome Fund supported Office of Physician-Scientist Development and the Duke Office of Clinical Research
The OCRCD supports cancer-oriented trainees across the training continuum, from high school students to junior faculty, by leveraging DCI-specific efforts with the broad array of educational and mentoring resources already available in this rich environment. The DCI has made substantial investments in training and education.
OCRCD Steering Committee
| Name | CCSG Role | Educational Role |
|---|---|---|
| Michael B. Kastan, MD, PhD | Director, Duke Cancer Institute | Director, Duke Cancer Institute |
| Karen Kharasch | Associate Director of Administration | |
| Gerard Blobe, MD, PhD | Co-Leader, Solid Tumor Therapeutics | DCI Associate Director for Training and Education |
| Nadine Barrett, PhD | ACCES | CTSA, Director of the Community Connections and Collaborations Core |
| Sue Jinks-Robertson, PhD | Co-Leader, Cancer Genetics and Genomics | PI, Cellular and Molecular Biology (T32-GM007184) |
| Chris Counter, PhD |
Co-Leader Tumor Biology |
Former president, member, Cancer Biology Training Consortium (CABTRAC) |
| Kimberly Johnson, MD | Member, Cancer Control & Population Sciences | CTSA, Director KL2 Research Career Development Program, Director of the Duke Center for Research to Advance Healthcare Equity (REACH) |
| Katy Peters, MD | Member, Neuro-Oncology | Fellowship Director, Neurosurgery |
| Geoff Ginsburg, MD, PhD | Member, Cancer Genetics & Genomics | PI, Molecular Genomics (T32-HG008955) |
| Donald McDonnell, PhD |
Co-Leader, Women’s Cancers |
Chair, Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology |
|
Gowthami Arepally, MD |
PI, Hematology Training Program (T32 HL007057) | |
| Cathleen Colon-Emeric, MD |
Professor of Medicine, Chief, Division of Geriatrics |
Associate Dean for Faculty Mentoring |
| Micah Luftig, PhD |
Member, Cancer Genetics and Genomics |
PI, Viral Oncology (T32-CA009111) |
| Seth Zimmerman, PhD | Post-Doctoral Fellow, Counter Lab |
NCI F32 Awardee Former Member, UNC Biochemistry and Biophysics Graduate Education Committee member |