About the Program

Two Tier Mentoring

An important goal of the Sheila and David Fuente PhD Program in Cancer Biology is to provide graduate students with a strong background in basic biomedical research coupled with exposure to clinical aspects of cancer. This latter aspect is an essential component of our objective to train students in translational cancer research. In order to achieve this goal we will include a special 'two-tier mentoring' program as part of our Ph.D. program. The students will receive guidance from both a research mentor and a physician mentor: the research mentor is the dissertation advisor, while the physician mentor will provide the student with a clinical perspective in cancer biology. This will provide the students with a unique experience to interact with clinical members of the UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

During the first year students will attend a series of lectures presented by physician mentors who will discuss clinical aspects of cancer detection and treatment. Students will attend existing UM/Sylvester tumor boards on a rotating monthly basis to understand how the treatment of cancers varies depending on histology. This will introduce students to clinical aspects of cancer and allow them to interact with potential physician mentors they will select.

After year one each student will select their specific physician mentor. Through their physician mentor students will have the opportunity to experience various areas of cancer detection and treatment in greater depth.

Research Faculty Listing
Physician Mentors Listing