Oncology

Prostate Cancer Career Development Program
Fellowship

The Prostate Cancer Center is dedicated to the discovery and evolution of new ideas and information about cancer, from the research to the clinical implementation phases of cancer control. The Prostate Cancer Development Program is a component of the Center, organized to attract scientists and clinical investigators to the field of prostate cancer and to assist in the development of careers in the field of prostate cancer. Established investigators wishing to pursue prostate cancer research may apply for funding through the Developmental Research Program. The career development program provides research training opportunities for medical, urological, and radiation oncologists; and recent graduates of PhD programs. All applicants to the Development Program are evaluated in conjunction, by the steering committee, who make funding decisions based on the availability of funds and the quality of the applicants. The strongest candidates are given priority funding, while maintaining a balance across initiatives.

The purpose of the Career Development Program is to assist in scientific and academic development. Up to two years of salary support and career mentoring helps applicants to establish a career in the field of prostate cancer. Funding is available to postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty and researchers (those eligible to independently apply for NIH funding). Successful fellows will use the funding to launch a career in academia, either as a research or clinical scientist, at the faculty level. The highest priority for funding will be given to applicants who clearly demonstrate academic potential and commitment. Program members are listed below:

Tumor Immunology Marcella Fasso, PhD Larry Fong, MD, PhD James Marks, PhD, MD Eric Small, MD Experimental Therapeutics Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD Jonathan Ellman, PhD Robert Fletterick, PhD James Marks, MD, PhD Frank McCormick, PhD Charles Ryan, MD Eric Small, MD Imaging Technology: Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Fergus Coakley, MD John Kurhanewicz, PhD Daniel Vigneron, PhD Imaging Technology: Positron Emission Tomography Henry van Brocklin, PhD Cancer Genetics Colin Collins, PhD John Witte, PhD

Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Robert Blelloch, MD, PhD Charles Craik, PhD Marc Diamond, MD Robert Fletterick, PhD Douglas Hanahan, PhD Davide Ruggero, PhD Marc Shuman, MD Zena Werb, PhD Animal Models Douglas Hanahan, PhD Epidemiology, Cancer Communications Research June Chan, ScD Joan Hilton, ScD, MPH Rena Pasick, PhD John Witte, PhD Outcomes Research Peter Carroll, MD, MPH Mack Roach, III, MD Charles Ryan, MD Eric Small, MD Joycelyn Speight, MD, PhD

For information on the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, visit http://cancer.ucsf.edu.

Application Process

The purpose of this program is to assist exceptionally talented postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty and researchers in establishing their academic and scientific careers in prostate cancer research. Funding provides salary support and helps to establish strong mentoring relationships for postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty and researchers. Successful fellows will use the funding to launch a career in academia, either as a research or clinical scientist, at the faculty level.

Postdoctoral applicants must be at UCSF or UC Berkeley and should have a PhD and/or MD and experience in one of the areas mentioned above. Salaries range from $25,000 to $50,000 depending on experience.

Prior to submitting a formal application interested applicants should contact the Development Program Director, Marc Shuman, MD, to complete a pre-application review. Applicants should allow sufficent time to schedule and complete this process in advance of the formal application deadline. 2008/09 applications are due on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.

The formal application will include an application form, a curriculum vitae, a brief statement of research interest and letters of reference. The complete instructions and application form should be downloaded and reviewed prior to scheduling a pre-application consultation using the links below:

Instructions in Word (program description and directions for submitting an application)

Application form in Excel (required forms)

Current Fellows

Maria Costa, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Urology
Prostate Cancer Fellow, 2008-2009
Project: Role of deregulated protein synthesis in prostate tumorigenesis

Jennifer Schutzman, MD, PhD
Hematology/Oncology Fellow
Prostate Cancer Fellow, 2008-2009
Project: Role for sprouty genes in prostate development and prostate cancer

Fellows Trained

Matthew Cooperberg, MD
Clinical Instructor, Urology
Prostate Cancer Fellow, 2001-2002
Project: Use of phage display libraries to develop fully human, prostate tumor-specific antibodies for targeted diagnostics and therapeutics

Tracy Downs, MD
Assistant Professor, Urology; University of California, San Diego
Prostate Cancer Fellow, 2001-2002
Project: Gene expression in tissue obtained at the time of diagnostic prostate biopsy, and in serial prostate biopsies for active surveillance

Eva Estébanez-Perpiñá, PhD
Ramon y Cajal Fellow, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
Prostate Cancer Research Fellow, 2003-2006
Project: Characterizing the structural interfaces between the androgen receptor and nuclear co-factor, and discovery of small molecule inhibitors

Marcella Fassò, PhD
Assistant Researcher, Urology
Prostate Cancer Fellow, 2003-2005
Project: Identification and characterization of novel prostatic antigens (SPAS-1)

Andrea Harzstark, MD
Clinical Fellow, Hematology and Oncology
Prostate Cancer Fellow, 2007-2008
Project: Radiation therapy and anti-CTLA-4 (Ipilimumab) in patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer metastatic to bone

Natalia Jouravel, MD
Associate Specialist, Biochemistry and Biophysics; University of California, San Francisco
Prostate Cancer Fellow, 2005-2006
Project: Antiandrogens Targeting Androgen Receptor Folding

Maxwell Meng, MD
Prostate Cancer Fellow, 2002-2003
Project: Utility of altered telomerase in cancer therapeutics

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Contents of This Page

Faculty

Peter Carroll, MD, MPH
Professor and Chair, Urology
Assistant email: jdeming@urology.ucsf.edu

Marc Shuman, MD
Development Program Director
Email: shuman@medicine.ucsf.edu

Mack Roach, III, MD
Career Development Program Co-director
Email: mroach@radonc.ucsf.edu

Key Staff

Malinda Walker
Program Administrator
Prostate Cancer Developmental Program
Email: mwalker@urology.ucsf.edu

Contact Number

For more information about applying to the Prostate Cancer Fellowship please contact mwalker@urology.ucsf.edu.