Training-American Society of Hematology

ASH Clinical Research Training Institute

2009 Clinical Research Training Institute Summer Workshop Curriculum - Find out more about the highlights of the upcoming Clinical Research Training Institute summer workshop in La Jolla, CA.
2008 Clinical Research Training Institute Brochure - Learn more about Clinical Research Training Institute workshop components, objectives, and past curricula topics.
ASH News Daily article on the Clinical Research Training Institute - Read a first-person account of the Clinical Research Training Institute summer workshop.

Now in its seventh year, the ASH Clinical Research Training Institute is a unique year-long education and mentoring program for hematology and hematology/oncology fellows-in-training, as well as junior faculty physicians at academic medical centers. The goal of ASH’s Clinical Research Training Institute is to prepare hematologists for careers in patient-oriented clinical research.

The Clinical Research Training Institute begins with a mandatory week-long summer workshop from August 1 – 7 at the Estancia Hotel in La Jolla, CA, that focuses on the foundation, methodologies, and applications of clinical research. Participants are matched with a workshop faculty member and a small group. This structure provides participants with intensive exposure to informational and networking resources. Throughout the week, participants work from their own proposed clinical research projects and refine and revise their plans through formal and informal interaction with faculty.

Each day of the summer program is divided into didactic sessions and small group meetings. The mornings are dedicated to lectures on clinical research methodology and related topics, while in the afternoons participants meet with their workshop mentors and other faculty to work on protocol development. Informal presentations by leaders in hematology clinical research that are designed to illustrate the variety of opportunities available within the field, take place in the evenings.

Two subsequent mandatory sessions, one at the ASH annual meeting and a second session held on the second Thursday in May at ASH Headquarters in Washington, DC, provide an opportunity for further interaction and mentoring throughout the year.

There is no fee to apply or participate in this program; however, all applicants must be ASH members. In addition, ASH pays awardees’ travel expenses to the summer workshop and spring meeting.

Target Audience

The Clinical Research Training Institute is geared toward hematology and hematology/oncology fellows in training, as well as junior faculty who at the time of their application are within three years of completing their fellowship training at academic medical centers in the United States and Canada. ASH intends to keep the group small to enhance the learning and mentoring experience; only 20 trainees will be selected for the course. To vary representation among programs, only one individual per program per medical school will be accepted.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted electronically to training@hematology.org by March 31, 2009. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Applications not formatted correctly or missing required documents will not be considered. Please see the list of required documents below. Applicants will be notified of their status by the end of May 2009.

Required Documents

Each application submission must consist of the following seven items:

Application (save as [Lastname]_CRTI_application_survey.doc)
ASH provides this form. Please answer all questions.
Demographic Survey
ASH provides this form. Although the applicant is not required to provide demographic information, the survey must be returned either with the requested information or with a check mark indicating you would rather not provide demographic information. Please see instructions on the survey document, which is included in the application form.

The following documents must be created by the applicant and formatted with one inch margins on all sides and a minimum font size of 12 point. Please adhere to page guidelines and place your name in the lower right-hand corner on each page of each document. All files should be named in the following format: jones_biosketch.doc or miller_cdp.doc.

Applicant’s Biosketch (two-page limit)
Please provide your contact information, present position, training (including training in clinical research), publications, and other relevant information.
Applicant’s Career Development Plan (two-page limit)
Please detail your career goals (related to prior experience), systematic plan to obtain experience and skills for an independent career in clinical research, and list of available resources (such as courses, workshops, etc.) at your home institution.
Research Proposal and References (five-page limit for proposal; one-page limit for references)
Please include title, tables, and figures. Studies should directly involve clinical observation of human subjects; potential areas include new approaches to the diagnosis, treatment, pathogenesis, or epidemiology of hematologic disorders, as well as the utilization of health-care resources for these diseases. Studies that are exclusively laboratory-based are not appropriate.
- The following documents must be created by the applicant’s mentor and formatted with one inch margins on all sides and a minimum font size of 12 point. Please adhere to page guidelines and place your name in the lower right-hand corner on each page of each document. All files should be named in the following format: jones_biosketch.doc or miller_cdp.doc.
Mentor’s biosketch (two-page limit)
Please provide your mentor’s contact information, present position, training (including training in clinical research), publications, and other relevant information.
Mentor’s Statement of Support (two-page limit)
Please include your mentor’s qualifications in the research area, previous experience in research training, nature and extent of supervision during the award year, and commitment to providing a productive environment to the applicant.

Additional Items

If the trainee has made plans to move to another institution prior to the start of Clinical Research Training Institute in August, a letter of support from the mentor at the new institution must be sent as part of a completed application.

Application Evaluation

Each application is reviewed by a primary, secondary, and tertiary reviewer. Priority scores will be assigned with a maximum of 15 points for each application.

Scoring:

A maximum of four points may be assigned for applicant’s personal qualifications, assessed by the biosketch, and potential for academic success, assessed also by the career development plan.

A maximum of four points may be assigned for the research proposal. Proposals will be assessed for originality, feasibility, and clinical importance. Completion of the proposal within the year of the Clinical Research Training Institue is not necessary, but a clear plan for the timeline of the study and data analysis is essential. Preference will be given to proposals with greater involvement of clinical observations.

A maximum of two points may be assigned for the mentor’s experience and plans for supporting the applicant.

Up to five can be assigned for the project’s malleability.

Further detailed information about the ASH Clinical Research Training Institute is available by contacting training@hematology.org.

2008 Clinical Research Training Institute Participants

Dale Bixby, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Beth Christian, MD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Jake Cooper, MD, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Adam Cuker, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Jennifer Cultrera, MD, UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Michelle Heather Gilbert, MD, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT
Shannon Jackson, MD, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
Emma Jones, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Patricia Kropf, MD, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Tomer Mark, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
Tim McCavit, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Ara Metjian, MD, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
Daniel Pollyea, MD, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA
Anita Rajasekhar, MD, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
Lori Rosenstein, MD, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA
Rafael Santana-Davila, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
William Savage, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Rajni Sinha, MD, MRCP, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Monica Thakar, MD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
Roland B. Walter, MD, PhD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA

2008 Clinical Research Training Institute Faculty

Nancy Berliner, MD, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Patrick Brown, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Linda J. Burns, MD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
John C. Byrd, MD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
James F. Casella, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Mark A. Crowther, MD, MSc, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON
Michael R. DeBaun, MD, MPH, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
George J. Dover, MD, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Scott D. Gitlin, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Neil Goldenberg, MD, PhD, The Children's Hospital, Denver, CO
Julie Hambleton, MD, Genentech, Inc, South San Francisco, CA
Stephen P. Hunger, MD, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, University of California - San Diego, San Diego, CA
Allison King, MD, MPH, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
Wendy Lim, MD, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Dorkina Myrick, MD, PhD, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
Yuko Y. Palesch, PhD, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
Julie A. Panepinto, MD, MSPH, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Susan B. Shurin, MD, National Heart, Lung, , Toronto, ON
Michael A. Tainsky, PhD, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI
Bruce Thompson, PhD, Clinical Trials & Surveys Corporation, Baltimore, MD
Sara K. Vesely, PhD, The University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK
William Wachsman, MD, PhD, University of California, San Diego, CA
Daniel G. Wright, MD, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD

Committee on Training Programs