General Information
Selection of Participants
The faculty will review and accept applications from clinical fellows and clinical researchers at the junior faculty level as described below. The faculty will base their decisions in large part on the quality of the proposed protocol and on the submissions by the applicant and the sponsor (Program Supervisor or Department Head or mentor). These documents will be scrutinized both for the information they supply about the candidate and the assurances they provide about the participation of the candidate and sponsor in the long-term evaluation of the workshop.
For those protocols using agents from a pharmaceutical company that are not FDA approved for the disease under study, the final application will require a letter of commitment from the collaborating company stating that drug will be supplied for the proposed trial. Priority will be given to applicants that have a letter that is uploaded with the application (preferably a letter of commitment, but at minimum, we request a letter of intent). If a letter is not included, the application is unlikely to be approved.
The workshop organizers have set a priority on increasing the participation of students traditionally underrepresented in cancer and biomedical research: African Americans, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Pacific Islanders. Individuals from these groups are strongly encouraged to submit applications. Note that selection of workshop applicants will be conducted on a competitive basis with fewer than half of the applicants accepted each year due to limited space. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to reapply the following year. Applicants will be notified of their status in mid-late May.
The organizers will accept approximately 75 applicants who are clinical fellows in any oncology subspecialty or radiology. The faculty will seek a group of trainees who have made outstanding progress in their medical training, who have displayed an interest and competence in clinical cancer research, and who come from a diverse group of training institutions and personal backgrounds. The 75 participants selected from this group will be required to pay a $325 registration fee for the workshop. They will receive complimentary airline tickets (with a cap on international travel), hotel accommodations in Vail for the nights of July 27 through August 1 inclusive, and complimentary meals throughout the workshop, with the exception of dinner on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Participants who receive scholarships will be required to share sleeping rooms with other awardees.
Clinical Researchers at Junior Faculty Level
The organizers will also admit approximately 25 clinical researchers at the junior faculty level who have already embarked on academic careers. Scientists should have completed their fellowships after April 30, 2008 and before July 27, 2013 and hold an appointment at the level of assistant professor, instructor, or lecturer. These scientists will be required to pay a $325 registration fee for the workshop. Junior faculty will also receive complimentary meals throughout the workshop (with the exception of dinner on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) and a stipend of $599 (nontaxable) to support their travel and housing costs.
Workshop Materials
Faculty members will contribute material to the workshop syllabus to be available to all participants. For every lecture and small group discussion session, the syllabus will contain the instructional objectives for the presentation, an outline of the topics to be covered, and a research bibliography of relevant articles and texts.
Workshop Site
Workshop sessions will take place at the Vail Marriott, Vail, Colorado. Vail offers a full complement of summer recreational activities just a short distance from the resort, including hiking, golfing, fishing, mountain climbing, horseback riding, and swimming.
Transportation from the Airport
Arrangements will be made for complimentary shuttle bus transportation (a 2½ hour ride) for workshop participants between the Denver International Airport and the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort on Saturday midday, July 27 and again on Friday morning, August 2. Those admitted to the workshop will receive the schedule for these special buses, which are the only buses on which complimentary transportation will be provided.
Workshop Housing – Sharing Accommodations
All applicants accepted to the workshop must reside at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort for the duration of the workshop and participate in all group meals.
Clinical fellows will receive complimentary accommodations at the resort, specifically a hotel room to be shared with one other workshop participant for the nights of Saturday, July 27, through Thursday, August 1. Fellows requesting other accommodations at the Vail Marriott will be reimbursed only for the amount that AACR and ASCO would have been charged for the complimentary accommodations offered as part of the package (approximately $115 per night).
Clinical researchers will have the option of sharing hotel rooms with other participants. The price of a standard room at the Vail Marriott is $226 per night. This price, per room per night, is based on single or double occupancy and includes local and state taxes.
Workshop Preparation
Those accepted for the workshop should come prepared to develop the clinical research concept submitted with their application into a complete clinical trial protocol during the course of the workshop. Participants should bring their institution’s protocol and informed consent templates, plus a draft of the background section of their protocol. A background literature review is required as preparation for the workshop. Participants must also bring a laptop computer to the workshop to facilitate their completion of the daily assignments.