PRACCTIS Prevention and Control of Cancer:

Post-Doctoral Training in Implementation Science

What is PRACCTIS?

PRACCTIS is a full-time NCI-funded post-doctoral fellowship training program designed to provide the next generation of cancer prevention and control researchers with the knowledge and skill sets to eliminate gaps in translation of research to practice along the cancer continuum.  This includes primary prevention (e.g. obesity, diet, physical activity, tobacco, sun exposure), cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. This 2-3 year program emphasizes didactic training in implementation science and mentored research opportunities and provides access to a wide array of enrichment opportunities at UMass Medical School campus.

Mentored Research Training

Trainees are placed under the mentorship of our world-renowned faculty with vast expertise in implementation science, including areas such as health informatics, health equity and cultural adaptation. Trainees are matched with a clinical, public health and community partners and provided with the opportunity to conduct collaborative pilot research. This supports trainees to initiate an independent research program focused on translating evidence into practice across the cancer continuum, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

Didactic Curriculum

Our competency-based curriculum provides rigorous training to establish targeted expertise in implementation science. Core competencies include implementation science theories and frameworks, effective intervention components, formative research methods for intervention adaptation, and implementation science study designs and quantitative evaluation.

Opportunity to Obtain a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI)

The MSCI program provides trainees with methodologic and content skills to design, conduct, and analyze the results of clinical, public health, and translational research investigations. Trainees without relevant prior training can obtain the MSCI in conjunction with fellowship program activities.

Faculty

PRACCTIS is co-led by Dr. Stephenie Lemon,  Professor of Medicine and Director of the UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center, and Dr. Tom Houston, Professor of Quantitative Health Sciences and Chief of the Division of Implementation Science and Health Informatics. PRACCTIS has over 20 affiliated faculty from departments and centers across the UMass campus.

Requirements

PRACCTIS is a full-time, 2 or 3 year post-doctoral training program for trainees interested in pursuing a career focused on cancer prevention and control. Trainees with doctoral degrees (MD, DO, Ph.D., Sc.D., etc.) from disciplines such as medicine, public health, social sciences, computer science, engineering and nursing are encouraged to apply.

Applications

Applications, which consist of cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three references are now being accepted for positions starting in summer/fall, 2018. Positions will be filled on a rolling basis.

To learn more contact us at pracctis@umassmed.edu or visit us at www.umassmed.edu/pracctis.

This program is funded by the National Cancer Institute Grant # R25 CA172009 with additional support from NIH Grant # UL1 RR031982, CDC Grant # U48 DP005031 and VA Grant # EHQ10-190.