The Career Enhancement Program (CEP)


The Career Enhancement Program (CEP) represents an essential component of the UW Prostate Cancer SPORE’s overarching goal to advance translational research in prostate oncology. Intensifying translational research requires expanding the pool of independent investigators who possess the knowledge and training to seamlessly research from bench and bedside. The CEP provides a formal mechanism to leverage the expertise and resources available at UW for the purpose of training a new generation of translational scientists focused on prostate cancer.

The CEP may support up to four awardees in any given year. Awardees receive $50,000 per year (for up to two years) to support their research career enhancement activities. In addition, each CEP trainee receives guidance on cross-campus opportunities for research and didactic training (e.g., NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award) that help foster the development of knowledge, skills, professional attitudes, and experiences required for a successful academic career in translational cancer research. This program benefits from strong leadership, deep cross-disciplinary expertise, individualized clinical and scientific curricula, seasoned mentors, and well-defined processes for recruitment and assessment. By engaging with investigators from across the Carbone Cancer Center, the CEP can also leverage the institutional strengths of one of the top research universities in the country, whose cancer researchers span such diverse departments as biomedical engineering, pharmacy, nursing, medical physics, and the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research.

Leadership

Joshua Lang, MD

Program Co-Director

Melissa Skala, PhD

Program Co-Director

UW Prostate SPORE CEP Awardees

Labros Meimetis, PhD

Project Title: Tumor Targeted RadioVaccination for Heterogeneous Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer

Anthony Serritella, MD

Project Title: Utilizing liquid biopsy in metastatic prostate cancer to recognize lineage plasticity and develop new therapies (MORPH)

Quaovi Sodji, MD, PhD

Project Title: Design and characterization of virus-free CRISPR-CAR T cells targeting STEAP1 for allogeneic CAR T cell therapy against metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Jordan Slagowski, PhD, DABR

Project Title: Targeting intraprostatic lesions in HDR brachytherapy: A unified approach with sparse optimization, deep learning, and multi-modal imaging

Irene Ong, PhD

Project Title: Computational Methods for Multi-omic Data Analysis to Enhance Prostate Cancer Research

Marina Sharifi, MD, PhD

Project Title: Interrogating the molecular signatures of Aggressive Variant Prostate Cancer via longitudinal liquid biopsy

John Floberg, MD, PhD

Project Title: Imaging and Circulating Biomarkers for Early Identification of Treatment Response and Resistance in Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Treated with Targeted Radiopharmaceutical Therapies

Grace Blitzer, MD

Project Title: The role of ctDNA and CTCs in guiding initiation of salvage radiation therapy

Ali Pirasteh, MD

Project Title: Novel FAP-targeted Approach to Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Eszter Boros, PhD

Project Title: Exploring Lu-177 radiotherapeutics for the bone metastatic niche

Pippa Cosper, MD

Project Title: Chromosomal instability as a mechanism and marker of 177Lu-PSMA-617 sensitivity in prostate cancer

Key Features of the SPORE Career Enhancement Program:

  • A strong pool of exceptional mentors across UW
  • Marketing & promotion of the program to potential awardees
  • Recruitment to Schools and Departments across UW
  • An application review, interview, and selection process
  • A mechanism for consistent progress reporting and assessment of awardees
  • Evaluation of mentor and awardee/mentor relationships
  • Oversight of program funds, including matching institutional funds