Training Grants

The summer research training program will introduce a diverse group of undergraduate students in Connecticut (CT) to five major emerging topics and tools in environmental health research:

• climate and energy impacts on health,
• developmental origin of disease,
• green chemistry,
• environmental health disparities, and
• novel approaches to assessing environmental exposures and early markers of effect.

• Nicole Deziel, PhD, MHS, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences; email: nicole.deziel@yale.edu
  
• Zeyan Liew, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences; email: zeyan.liew@yale.edu
• Krystal Pollitt, PhD, P.Eng., Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, Assistant Professor in Chemical and Environmental Engineering; email: krystal.pollitt@yale.edu

Immune therapies have resulted in prolonged survival for patients with various types of cancer, and are changing the landscape for cancer research and cancer care. Many of the major advances were led by scientists and clinical researchers at the Yale School of Medicine. We will capitalize on this expertise as well as the rich resources available at Yale to train the next generation of Cancer Immunologists and Immuno therapists capable of conducting translational research to advance patient care.

Systemic therapy for cancer has evolved dramatically in recent years with the emergence of immune modulation therapies that induce responses and prolong survival in multiple malignancies. It is widely believed that these advances are only the vanguard in a rapidly evolving field. Investigators from the Yale School of Medicine have played key roles in both pre-clinical and clinical advances in immuno-oncology. Continued advancement requires a better understanding of primary and secondary resistance to immune therapy, the biology of immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment, rational drug combinations, drug toxicities, and novel trial designs specific for immune therapies. Hence, there is an urgent need to train junior investigators to conduct patient-oriented cancer immunology and immunotherapy studies to accelerate the pace of these advances.

The Immuno-Oncology Training Program (IOTP) will address the critical need by training both PhD and MD or MD/PhD Scholars in clinically relevant immuno-oncology and translational immunology. The IOTP will be distinct from existing training programs at Yale as the only one to specifically focus on training junior faculty in patient-oriented research in immuno-oncology and immunotherapy. The IOTP will capitalize on the wealth of expertise at Yale in immunobiology and immunotherapy. The IOTP will be supported by the Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI) to provide foundational courses. Key distinguishing features will be didactic and practical training developed specifically for this program. The two-year curriculum includes courses on basic immunology and cancer immunology, immunotherapy-specific clinical trial design, the Cancer Immunology Forum, and an individually tailored, two-year Translational Immuno-oncology research project encompassing both laboratory and clinical research. Consistent with campus-wide efforts to encourage diversity, a Recruitment & Diversity Subcommittee will be charged with maximizing the diversity of the Scholar population. The program will be led by an Executive Committee and two Co-Directors with complementary expertise in Cancer Immunology Research and Gynecologic Oncology Research. In summary, the IOTP will enable the Yale Cancer Center to focus specifically on cross-disciplinary training of scholars in Cancer Immunotherapy, a field in great need of well-trained basic and clinical scientists.

Faculty Mentor:

• Caroline Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences; email: caroline.johnson@yale.edu