CANCER PREVENTION: STAGING MY CAREER AS A CANCER BIOLOGIST

Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer with yearly increasing incidence and poor prognosis due to failure ofboth primary and secondary prevention strategies, respectively. Melanoma treatment strategies are oftenunsuccessful due to patients? intrinsic or acquired drug resistance, highlighting the need for novel, secondaryprevention-intervention strategies with thoroughly validated mechanistic targets. Therefore, my career goal isto become an independent, academic melanoma researcher, with a focus in translational science to developstrategies to target melanoma. To ensure this outcome, the enclosed comprehensive research, mentoring, andcareer development plans will be implemented over the course of the predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowshiptraining periods.My overall hypothesis is that goal-oriented research and career development in my predoctoral andpostdoctoral training years will lead me to establish myself as an independent, academic melanomaresearcher. The following aims will address this hypothesis:Aim 1: The Dissertation Research Project ? goal, rationale, hypotheses, and progress thus far.Aim 2: The Dissertation Research Project ? work to be completed.Aim 3: The Postdoctoral Research Direction.My predoctoral research is significant because it provides critical knowledge about the differential role ofoxidative stress, autophagy, and p62 regulation as survival mechanisms for melanoma development and thepotential for therapeutic targeting in melanoma. Further, the research technical skills acquired during thepredoctoral phase will positively impact my postdoctoral research training as I learn to evaluate mechanisms ofmelanoma development, prevention strategies and therapeutic targeting in vivo. The results of my proposedresearch studies will also positively impact public health by development of therapeutic strategies formelanoma. The proposed career development plan will be instrumental for my training as a postdoctoral fellowand subsequent transition to a research faculty position. Overall, the outlined dual-phase fellowship trainingplan will undoubtedly facilitate my research and career development as I continue to contribute to improvingpublic health as an established translational cancer researcher.