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"The Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology offers an innovative and exciting training environment for graduate students interested in biomedical research. Unlike traditional training programs, the Cancer Biology program places an emphasis on bridging the gap between laboratory and clinic through a curriculum incorporating both basic science and clinical researchers. In an era where research funding is increasingly focused on the practical applications of scientific findings, it is critically important that students are aware of how scientific discoveries are converted into therapeutic agents. In addition to a comprehensive curriculum focused on pressing problems in cancer research, the Cancer Biology program offers a two-tiered mentoring system that is invaluable to students by giving them actual clinical experience to foster new research ideas that may back-propagate to the laboratory. It is evident that this approach has broad support from the faculty and administration of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the Sylvester Cancer Center as the program now includes numerous physician and basic science mentors. I look forward to completing my thesis research in this exciting and supportive training program and am grateful to have this truly unique opportunity to participate in translational research. "

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"The Cancer Biology Program takes an interdisciplinary approach to learning and conducting research.  It allows students to gain a broad understanding of cancer research, through classes and guest lecturers, while they focus on a particular area for their dissertation.  Also, the two-tier mentoring gives the students a chance to understand the bench side and the translational side of cancer research and treatment.  This design creates an intellectual atmosphere with endless possibilities for research projects and collaborations throughout the university and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Overall, the Cancer Biology Program is preparing students for the future of research by giving us the knowledge and support to become successful scientists."

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"The Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology offers a progressive approach to scientific training. Being a multidisciplinary program, it is free from many of the restraints a discipline and department-specific environment places on the student. The Cancer Biology Program fosters intellectual creativity by exposing students to pressing issues the variety of fields of study face in tackling malignant disease. This approach breeds students who are aware of the greater context in which his/her research falls, preventing further propagation of traditional discipline-centric training regimens. I feel the above, in combination with the clinical exposure the program offers, will produce scientists who are better equipped to deal with the future problems of cancer in the rapidly changing scientific environment."

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"The greatest appeal of the cancer biology program to me is the special 'two-tier mentoring' system. Students will receive guidance from a research mentor and a physician mentor. The research mentor is the dissertation advisor and the physician mentor will provide students with clinical aspects of cancer, which is very helpful for us to conduct disease-based research. Besides, this program provides multidisciplinary training and helps us to gain a broad understanding of cancer research ranging from signaling pathway to psycho-oncology. Our classes are designed to provoke creative thinking through discussion on recent literature. There are also many seminars and guest lectures, allowing us to communicate with experts in all fields."

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"I like the Cancer Biology Program because it is unique among other graduate programs. One particular aspect is the two-tier mentoring from both a research scientist and a physician. The courses are designed to stimulate basic as well as translational research critical thinking. Research seminars by prominent individuals in cancer research, have provided us with exposure to the various aspects of bench to bedside research and medicine. The faculty are excellent and student oriented." 

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"I chose the cancer biology program because of my personal interest in cancer and the way the program addresses future prospects of treatment and research. Our program is really geared towards translational research and interdisciplinary study of cancer. Most of the classes place an emphasis on scientific logic related to cancer and discussion. Additionally, we have a chance to meet physicians in the class and learn about the clinical aspects of cancer, the limitations of current treatments, and the state of clinical trials now and in the future. The two tier mentoring is great and very helpful because you can understand systemic view of cancer. Besides our classes, the program give us a broad knowledge base and understanding by providing distinguished guest lectures, as well as time to discuss with them about both science and life."

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"I can say without any reservations, that joining the Cancer Biology Program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine was one of the best decisions I have ever made. When I was applying for graduate school I was looking for an interdisciplinary program that focuses on translational research with high clinical relevance and to trains students in critical thinking and problem solving to understand and overcome the barriers in current cancer therapy. With a high clinical exposure through your physician mentor, the Comprehensive Cancer Center and classes like “Bench to Bedside” you get a very well understanding of how an idea that has been developed in the lab finally gets to the clinic. From the first day I could feel the excitement here on campus to make this program one of  the best Cancer Biology Programs in America and the recruitment of very renowned Researchers is just one example for that."

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“I like the Cancer Biology program because it provides unique educational opportunities that encourage graduate students to become independent and passionate about learning and discovery. The success of the two-tiered mentoring program is upheld by guidance from a research scientist and physician mentor, which gives students an understanding of how progress on the bench side can be applied to the translational aspect of cancer treatment.  The program design integrates discussion-based classes, distinguished seminars, and medical boards—elements that evolve graduate students into well-informed critical scientists.  The supportive faculty encourages collaborations amongst the diverse cancer labs, which brings together state-of-the-art techniques and scientific concepts and makes learning enjoyable at the same time. I am very excited about the rest of my graduate studies experience!”

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“After one year of study, I like the Cancer Biology Program because the course structure is geared towards “outside the box” broad understanding of cancer research.  As students, we gain skills in intellectual creativity in the study of cancer.  The faculty are student oriented, and this framework gives the freedom to focus on any area of interest.  Furthermore, the two tier mentoring is great and very helpful for my goals in translational research."

"I enjoy joining the Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology, such a unique and wonderful program. This is really a comprehensive program including biochemistry and molecular biology, microbiology and immunology, cell biology and pharmacology programs. Besides, different from some traditional programs, our program provides students more opportunities to be involved in translational research and clinical application. This “bench to bedside” style enables the students to fully explore every aspect of cancer research and to become an expert in conquering one of the the world’s most complex disease-'Cancer'!"

 

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"The Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology trains emerging scientists to investigate complex research questions in the context of cancer. Its two-tier mentoring paired with basic science, translational, and clinically oriented coursework provides students with the tools necessary to examine issues that will further our understanding of cancer and inevitably help oncologists in the clinic. This framework gives researchers the freedom to focus on an area of particular interest and become an expert through our graduate training."

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“The Cancer Biology Program provides students with the opportunity to study a complex disease in both laboratory and clinical settings.  This bench to bedside curriculum emphasizes the importance of translational research and exposes students to mentors and collaborations in both areas.  The Cancer Biology Program’s close association with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center also fosters this two-tiered program.  The interdisciplinary program offers coursework in a variety of disciplines related to cancer, such as: tumor biology, immunology, cell biology, and pharmacology.  There are weekly student seminars, a distinguished guest lecture series and various other opportunities to keep up with the field.  The program is instilling in young scientists the ability to think creatively about complex problems, communicate ideas effectively and ultimately contribute to the field of cancer biology and human health.”

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"The Cancer Biology program is a unique program that allows for immersion in the study of cancer. As opposed to traditional department specific approaches which restrict the understanding of cancer through the lens of biochemistry, microbiology, or immunology, the Cancer Biology allows the study of cancer with the full spectrum of all disciplines. Most importantly, the Cancer Biology program provides valuable clinical insight into the study of cancer through clinical oncology courses and mentoring with a clinical oncologist. Only by understanding cancer from this multidisciplinary approach can the complex phenomenon of cancer be properly understood and eventually overcome."

 

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"Before joining the Sheila and David Fuentes Cancer Biology Program here at the University of Miami I was apprehensive about being a 'guinea pig' in the first class of a new program. The accessibility of the program faculty allowed me the time to voice these concerns during candid conversations that reassured me that this program would become one of the strongest in the University. Having now completed the first year in the curriculum I can say with confidence that those reassurances were accurate. The Cancer Biology Program is a truly interdisciplinary program free of departmental boundaries and traditions that is at its core a graduate program for the translational scientist. Faculty in the program span all departments at the University and include the largest number of practicing physicians of any department. This diversity enables us, as students, to gain skills that allow us to analyze basic scientific questions with the patient in mind, and visa-versa. Furthermore, our clinical exposure is fortified by the Sylvester Cancer Center and the way it has truly embraced the Cancer Biology Program in its clinical and scientific endeavors. With the first year behind us, I am truly excited about the rest of my graduate education and am grateful for the opportunity to learn in such an outstanding program."

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"The Cancer Biology Program creates an environment where the theory learned in the classroom is applied to both basic and translational science by the integration of classroom learning, distinguished seminars, paper critiques and Medical Board attendance. The course structure in this program is geared towards critical analysis of multiple disciplines, which helps students come up with unconventional, 'outside the box', approaches to problem-solving. With the current drive to recruit the very best researchers, the Miller School of Medicine's Cancer Biology Program is indeed a very competitive one. The professors are very approachable and student feedback is heavily weighted, faciltating the continuous assessment and improvement of the program. In the end, researchers trained by this program will be very well-rounded, critical analyzers, capable of translating new knowledge found in this ever evolving field into effective therapies. I am very proud to be one of its pioneers."

 

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“The Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology constitutes a truly unique approach to graduate training at the University of Miami.  The interdisciplinary nature of the program allows students to approach both their coursework and research from a variety of perspectives.  Two-tiered mentoring provides every student with an opportunity to integrate the myriad of clinical and scientific implications of cancer research, and promotes an appreciation for bench-to-bedside translation in a field that is perpetually evolving.  The list of investigators affiliated with the program is constantly growing and students find themselves rotating amongst a diverse group of talented scientists.  The program's progressive outlook fosters an appreciation of the multifaceted nature of both basic scientific research and clinical treatment, a critical perspective in cancer therapy today.”

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"The Cancer Biology Program is a unique and truly interdisciplinary program that exposes me to the broad field of cancer biology. Our scientific labs cover almost every active aspect in cancer research and we benefit a lot from the interactive collaborations between labs and core facilities. On the other hand, it is great for translational scientist because faculty in the program are also actively involved in clinical studies. This diversity enables us to gain the global view of a scientific question from the standpoint of a real patient. I really enjoy the friendly atmosphere between our faculty and students, and I feel lucky that I chose this program and it chose me, too."

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"Among the many features of the CAB program, the most unique and attractive one is its translational-oriented training and research. For bench-to-beside, you can get ideas of how discoveries in the labs are translated into the clinics through lectures given by experienced researchers, many of whom are MD-PhDs. At the same time, you will also obtain clinical views of the disease from a range of classes and how basic biological questions are raised in the clinics and given back to lab scientists to be worked out. Consequently, you will be able to integrate the clinical and translational concerns into your basic research to make it more helpful to the battle of this complex disease. Under this translational environment, collaborations between basic and clinical scientists happen everyday on campus, some of which have already led or is leading to various clinical trials. By joining the Cancer Biology Program, we are witnessing one of the greatest progresses in human biology and medicine.

 

Currently, I am doing my thesis research in Dr. Theodore Lampidis’ lab, which has been focusing on the altered metabolism of cancer cells (especially sugar metabolism), and exploiting the intrinsic defects of tumor metabolism to treat this disease. Due to the heavy dependence of glycolysis to support the energy supply and growth building blocks in most cancer cells, our lab has been able to successfully growth-inhibit and/or kill a wide range of cancer cell lines using the glucose analogue, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG). Recently, it was found that 2-DG induces autophagy, a self-eating and usually adaptive process in cancer cells. Based on this phenomenon, one of the goals of my project is to identify the basic mechanisms by which 2-DG activates autophagy. The translational part of my work is to increase 2-DG’s anti-tumor potency by inhibiting autophagy. The ultimate goal of my thesis project is to better understand how 2-DG works and increase its efficacy as an anti-tumor drug."

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"The Cancer Biology Program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is very unique because it has exposed me to the field of cancer research both scientifically and clinically. It has also provided me with a chance to choose from the various labs almost covering every aspect of cancer research. The collaboration between faculty and students makes learning an easy and enjoyable experience. After one year of study, I am very satisfied that I picked this program and looking forward for the years to come."

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"The cancer biology program at University of Miami presents a unique academic environment for the students to pursue interdisciplinary cancer research with both research scientists and clinical oncologists. The coursework in the first year is well designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the development, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer. The three lab rotations give students more choices to select a research mentor specialized in various aspects of cancer research and the two-tier mentoring helps the students carry out laboratory work with clinical perspectives. Overall, the cancer biology program provides students an invaluable opportunity to increase our expertise and competitiveness in the field of cancer research. "