Course on Cancer Fundamentals

A new course called "Fundamentals of Cancer: Cause to Cure" for Johns Hopkins residents, fellows, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows is being offered October 5, 2009 - March 2, 2010 in the Owens Auditorium on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM.

The course will cover fundamental cancer molecular biology to the processes of transformation and metastases, and how targeted therapies emerge from new scientific knowledge.

Hear from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director Bill Nelson on what you can learn from the course:

Students may register for the course via the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's Registrar's Office.

Course Goals:

To provide a perspective on basic science and clinical issues as they pertain to research, bridging the gap between clinic and lab. The course will include projects where the students will be assigned a clinical/lab faculty team who will provide guidance in developing a new targeted therapy or prevention for a disease indication based on principles learned in the lectures.

There will be four modules:

1. Origins of Cancer (genes/carcinogenesis,etc)
2. Progression of Cancer (transformation, metastasis, stem cells, angiogenesis/tumor microenvironment, and how people become sick from cancer)
3. Treatment (traditional and new approaches to treatment including surgery, radiation, chemo, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, clinical trial design from bench to bedside, and managing patient symptoms)
4. Prevention (primary and secondary prevention, high risk families and prevention, disparities).

The case components will be part of the treatment and prevention modules.

Course Director: Leisha Emens, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Oncology

Course Coordinator: Gail Voelker, Administrative Programs Manager, Department of Oncology (410) 955-8823