A Grant-Based Experiment to Train Clinical Investigators: The AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
To address the need for clinical investigators in oncology, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) established the Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop (MCCRW). The workshop's objectives were to: (i) provide training in the methods, design, and conduct of clinical trials; (ii) ensure that clinical trials met federal and international ethical guidelines; (iii) evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop; and (iv) create networking opportunities for young investigators with mentoring senior faculty. Educational methods included: (i) didactic lectures, (ii) Small Group Discussion Sessions, (iii) Protocol Development Groups, and (iv) one-on-one mentoring. Learning focused on the development of an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-ready protocol, which was submitted on the last day of the workshop. Evaluation methods included: (i) pre- and postworkshop tests, (ii) students' workshop evaluations, (iii) faculty's ratings of protocol development, (iv) students' productivity in clinical research after the workshop, and (v) an independent assessment of the workshop. From 1996 to 2014, 1,932 students from diverse backgrounds attended the workshop. There was a significant improvement in the students' level of knowledge from the pre- to the postworkshop exams (P < 0.001). Across the classes, student evaluations were very favorable. At the end of the workshop, faculty rated 92% to 100% of the students' protocols as ready for IRB submission. Intermediate and long-term follow-ups indicated that more than 92% of students were actively involved in patient-related research, and 66% had implemented five or more protocols. This NCI-sponsored MCCRW has had a major impact on the training of clinicians in their ability to design and implement clinical trials in cancer research.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Von Hoff, DD; Clark, GM; Coltman, CA; Disis, ML; Eckhardt, SG; Ellis, LM; Foti, M; Garrett-Mayer, E; Gönen, M; Hidalgo, M; Hilsenbeck, SG; Littlefield, JH; LoRusso, PM; Lyerly, HK; Meropol, NJ; Patel, JD; Piantadosi, S; Post, DA; Regan, MM; Shyr, Y; Tempero, MA; Tepper, JE; Von Roenn, J; Weiner, LM; Young, DC; Vu, NV
Published Date
- October 15, 2021
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 27 / 20
Start / End Page
- 5472 - 5481
PubMed ID
- 34312215
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC8530870
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1557-3265
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-1799
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States