For those interested in a full-time research and clinical ethics training program focused on cancer & big data

Application Opens: September 1st

Application Closes: December 1st

https://forms.gle/Y25SzzksrmmNQRpM9

The Ann Dudley Goldblatt Interdisciplinary

Ethics of Genomics and Big Data Science Fellowship (one year)

ONE-YEAR, POSTDOC AND ETHICS FELLOWSHIP

This training program is intended to provide the Scholar with research training in ethics, genomics, and data science. Details regarding the elective classroom and seminar courses that constitute the Core Curriculum will be customized to fulfill training goals of the Scholar.  The Fellow will develop a research topic area and conduct research within the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health at the University of Chicago in conjunction with the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics.

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

The University of Chicago has a long tradition of excellence in cancer research. Among the highlights in this tradition, Dr. Charles Huggins was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1966 for the discovery of hormone ablation therapy as a means to treat prostate cancer. Dr. Janet D. Rowley was awarded the 1998 National Medal of Science for the discovery of the t(9;22) translocation creating the Philadelphia chromosome in chronic myeloid leukemia. Dr. Elwood Jensen discovered and characterized the estrogen receptor which has had a “rapid, direct and lasting impact on treatment and prevention of breast cancer” as quoted in the statement announcing his 2004 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research. Faculty at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center conduct research with global impact on Campus or within centers in China, France, Hongkong, India, London and across the world. More recently, at the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health, Dr. Olopade has defined genetic markers that contribute to disparities in breast cancer incidence in women of African descent; Dr. Dezheng Huo has developed ethnic specific Polygenic Risk Model for population risk stratification for breast cancer screening and Dr. Rita Nanda, one of the top clinical trialists in the US, has defined a new utility for immune checkpoint blockade in Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Thus, expertise in translational cancer genetics research remains a driving force for recruitment of new faculty and expansion of new technologies on the University of Chicago campus.

MACLEAN ETHICS PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago offers the oldest, largest, and most successful clinical ethics fellowship in the world. Dr. Mark Siegler, the Founding Director of the MacLean Center, created the first clinical ethics fellowship in the nation in 1981. Since then, the MacLean Center faculty members have trained more than 500 fellows, many of whom have gone on to direct their own ethics programs in the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, China, and Australia. Since the Spring of 2023, the MacLean Center is directed by Dr. Peter Angelos.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH & ETHICS TRAINING PLAN

The University of Chicago has long recognized the importance of physician scientists capable of utilizing laboratory discoveries to evolve novel therapeutic approaches and using clinical observations to inform and shape basic investigations. The University has a long tradition of excellence in cancer research and the environment is ideal for inter-disciplinary training of the next generation of cancer researchers.

The trainee will participate fully in the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics’ one-year, part-time fellowship. The training program begins with a four-week, full-time Summer Intensive in July. The MacLean Summer Intensive Program is unique and offers fellows an intensive experience that includes more than 75 lectures and seminars taught by many MacLean Center Faculty. The intensive program offers sessions on the following topics: clinical ethics, ethics consultation, end-of-life care, research ethics, health policy and health disparities, surgical ethics, pediatric ethics, reproductive ethics, psychiatric ethics, and the ethics of cancer and big data. During the summer intensive, the trainee will attend 3-4 seminars daily. Following the summer intensive, the trainee will meet with other ethics fellows one day a week (Wednesdays) for a structured clinical ethics curriculum including Topics in Clinical Medical Ethics, Introduction to Moral Philosophy, Law and Medicine, Religion and Medicine, and Research-in-Progress seminars. With faculty supervision, fellows participate actively in the University of Chicago Medical Center Ethics Consultation Service.

In addition, this training program is intended to provide each fellow with research training in clinical medical ethics, cancer genomics and data science. Interdisciplinary training may be focused in any disease area devoted to instruction in research techniques, experimental design, and data interpretation. A model training plan is outlined in the figure below. Details regarding the elective classroom and seminar courses that constitute the Core Curriculum can be customized to fulfill the career goals of the trainee. The fellow will meet twice monthly with mentors to discuss the progress of his/her/their research and identify problems. He/she will attend a weekly data session and journal club as well as lecture series within the Section of Hematology/Oncology and the Department of Medicine. The ideal candidate will have an MD or PhD with an interest in cancer genetics, big data, and medical ethics.

The interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Research training in Ethics and Big Data Science will take full advantage of the incredible scientific environment at U of C and is co-sponsored by the Section of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Medicine and the Maclean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics.

For more information about the fellowship, please contact Lauren Singh, email singhl@bsd.uchicago.edu. To learn more about the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics or to register for MacLean Center events, please visit our website at macleanethics.uchicago.edu.