National Cancer Institute Grant Spurs Oncology Training Program in New York

• A five-year, $2.11 million Institutional Clinical Scientists Awards grant was recently awarded to the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center for its oncology training program.
• The funding will support “highly personalized and advanced research training” for nurses with a Ph.D. or equivalent degree. 
• Similar clinic-academic relationships have been established in recent years to build on current oncology insights. 

A National Cancer Institute grant has spurred the launch of an oncology training program for nurse scientists in western New York. 

The five-year, $2.11 million Institutional Clinical Scientists Awards grant gives the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center the resources to support “highly personalized and advanced research training” for nurses with a Ph.D. or equivalent degree.

Roswell Park’s chief nursing officer Andrew Storer, PhD, DNP, RN, said in a news release the grant is about “creating opportunities” and investing in the future of cancer care. 

“By actively recruiting nurses from diverse backgrounds, we’re building a more inclusive research community that reflects the patients we serve and enhances the impact of oncology research,” said Storer, who will also serve as associate director of the program. 

The program also aims to improve the “significant shortage of oncology nurse-scientists,” according to Suzanne Dickerson, Ph.D., RN, professor and associate dean of the research doctoral program at the UB School of Nursing.

University at Buffalo Program (and Others Like It)

Two to three nurses per year will be supported through the NCI grant and, according to Roswell Park, “gain hands-on experience in translational oncology research” under the mentorship of leading cancer researchers. 

The program has three main research aims: 

1. Mentored research in “high-priority” areas. 
2. Personalized career development. 
3. Recruit individuals from groups underrepresented in nursing sciences. 

Interested nurse scientists must apply by March 1, 2025, and the program is expected to begin in August. 

Similar clinic-academic relationships have been established in recent years to build on current oncology insights. In 2020, a nurse scientist partnership was established between the University of Rochester (N.Y.) School of Nursing and Wilmot Cancer Center, aiming to bridge the gap between published research and patient care. 

The Bigger Picture of the Oncology Training Program

The University of Buffalo and Roswell Park are just one group among many that have received financial support to further research and best practices in the oncology field.

Just last month, the Oncology Nursing Foundation issued nearly $200,000 across three research projects and will have additional grant opportunities available in February 2025. 

As funding opportunities and partnerships continue, so too does a positive job outlook (despite the shortage Dickerson referenced). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics job outlook data for medical scientists projected 11% growth between 2023 and 2033 with an average of roughly 8,900 openings annually. 

Some of those openings are due to retirements, which a 2023 Nursing Outlook study attributes to the “great retirement and resignation during COVID-19.” 

The study authors also suggested that more investment is needed in nurse scientists so they don’t become an “endangered species.” 

“As we see it, the principal issue is how we as a discipline empower the majority of nursing faculty to contribute to nursing science in meaningful ways by creating manageable workloads, appropriate compensation, mentorship, and support mechanisms,” they stated. 

The Bottom Line

A $2.11 million grant was awarded to a Buffalo, New York, university and a local cancer center to enhance collaboration and research as it relates to oncology training for nurse scientists. Such partnerships are not new, but play a key role in advancing research and can help bridge the gap between research and implementation to improve patient care. Those interested in pursuing a nurse scientist role can expect plenty of opportunities, as labor projections suggest an estimated 8,900 job openings annually over a 10-year period. 

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