Career Enhancement Core

Project Summary / Abstract: Penn State TCORS Career Enhancement Core Training the next generation of tobacco regulatory science (TRS) investigators is imperative for informing regulation of the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products. With this goal in mind, Penn State Center for Research on Tobacco and Health provides training for promising students and fellows through diverse investigative teams actively engaged in TRS research. This makes our Center an ideal site for the Penn State Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science Career Enhancement Core. The Career Enhancement Core will provide research experiences and related activities to develop expertise in TRS for diverse trainees, from undergraduate through faculty. Training will be accomplished through four distinct programs along the trajectory toward independence, including: 1) Undergraduate and Medical Student Research Experience Program, 2) Predoctoral Scholars Program, 3) Postdoctoral Fellows Program, and 4) New and Early-Career Investigator Mentorship Program. Each program will offer experiences within three complementary training components that are tailored to the unique needs of each trainee’s career stage and professional goals. The training components include TRS didactic and laboratory-based curriculum, mentor-directed research, and a pilot project program. The primary aims of the Career Enhancement Core are to: 1) recruit and engage talented trainees from diverse backgrounds across a pipeline of professional stages to advance independent careers in tobacco regulatory science research; 2) leverage the strengths of Penn State’s active tobacco research center, multidisciplinary teams, and network of successful TRS trainees to implement intensive and specialized training programs; 3) enhance TRS career trajectories through collaborative engagement within and between TCORS; and 4) increase the translational impact of TRS research on regulation of the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products. The Core will be directed by two former TRS trainees who have successfully transitioned to independent TRS research careers with a focus on mentoring and education. The directors will be supported by senior TCORS investigators and an internal advisory committee comprised of education and training program leadership at the Penn State College of Medicine. The Penn State Career Enhancement Core will maximize its training impact through several innovative features, including multidisciplinary expertise and resources, programs across the career pipeline, near-peer mentoring from a large network of current and former TRS trainees, specialized training in biomarker methods and analysis supported by the Biomarker and Analytical Chemistry Core, and academic-legal partnerships to enhance the translational impact of trainees’ research to regulation and policy. Our existing resources and infrastructure will facilitate our trainees’ successful progression toward independent careers in TRS.