The Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation is pleased to announce our latest project named The Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation Fellowship Program. We are interested in fostering specific areas of clinical and basic breast cancer research through several funding mechanisms. We invite you to join us in this exciting new endeavor. We encourage your institution to submit its best proposal and 2-3 of your best candidates for this program for our review. Details of the proposal, formats and timelines follow.
For the year 2008, the scientific committee is proposing the possible funding of up to 3 fellowships from around the state in a competitive process described below:
FBCCRF Fellowships: Funding of Post-doctoral research fellows in basic and clinical breast cancer studies. This could be for MDs, PhDs or MD PhDs that are interested in pursuing a career in breast cancer basic or clinical research. In addition to allowing post-doctoral fellows to start or to continue their scientific training in breast cancer research, we are particularly interested in establishment of research fellowships that physicians in medical oncology, surgical oncology, and radiation oncology might want to pursue after completion of their formal residency/ fellowship. This would be for one or two years in breast cancer basic or clinical research. We would also be interested in a clinical radiologist who wanted to pursue an extra period of specialized training in breast imaging. This extended training will enable the trainees to pursue a clinical or research career devoted to breast cancer. We will be sponsoring up to 3 fellowships per year. Each fellowship will be at a different Florida institution. Each applicant should have a mentor and a well-defined research project that he will conduct during his fellowship either in clinical or basic science, in addition to the clinical or basic science training that each fellow may pursue during that time.
We are strongly interested in funding research fellowships with the use of institution matching funds. These matching funds, either from Alumni or other funding sources, would allow us to make the award dollars go further in funding more breast cancer research throughout the State of Florida.
** Please note your matching funds on the attached budget forms. **
Some background information on The Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation:
The Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation is now affiliated with the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) in its fight to end breast cancer. The organization is funded largely through grassroots donations and from the funds from the “End Breast Cancer” license plate, and has enabled us to stay true to our mission: to end breast cancer through advocacy, education, and research. The mission of the Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation is dedicated to ending breast cancer through education, advocacy and research.
Our purpose is to raise awareness and mobilize Floridians to:
· Ensure sufficient government and public funding for breast cancer research
· Ensure quality health care for all without fear of discrimination
· Ensure an environment free of carcinogens.
We have advocates who have lobbied locally and on a national level since our inception. They work hard to promote increased and sustainable funding to further our mission. They also rally throughout the State of Florida to ensure no harmful laws are passed. We are a statewide organization and have a local presence in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa. Our e-alert system goes out to over 1,100 people.
In addition to our Educational and Scientific Grants, last year we implemented an Education- Faith Based Initiative to help further our outreach to women in underprivileged areas. This innovative program is designed to reach women with educational and awareness information on breast cancer through different affiliations. We have a full time Programs Manager and have designed a pre and post program test to measure the effectiveness of the education provided.
This year we expect to extend our statewide reach in both Educational and Scientific Grants. The Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation BCCRF is launching a new scientific and research program initiative for 2008/09. It is being called The Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation Fellowship Program. The proposed goal for this important program is to provide funding for full time research fellows in breast cancer at Florida Institutions. A key program component will be coordination of fellowship research activities among the institutions and a proposed annual symposium.
To achieve our mission, the Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation welcomes all who are committed to ending the breast cancer epidemic. We have made great strides, but much more needs to be done, especially here in Florida. We need your involvement in the Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation to make our mission a success.
Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation Fellowship Program Minimum Requirements
- Two year research fellowship funded at $100,000 total per year, to include a maximum of 20% indirect costs.
- Minimum 75% of fellow’s time spent on basic or clinical breast cancer research
- Research will be judged by the quality of the mentor, significance to breast cancer, innovation/originality, experimental design & methods, environment and investigator - the applicant and a training plan (courses, rotations, seminars etc).
- The Fellow will be MD or MD/PhD. and will be judged by: Demonstrated academic and research productivity, Demonstrated commitment and potential for future contribution to breast cancer research.
- Involvement from the participating university; through matching funds, mentors, and lab facilities and materials.
If interested please submit the attached application according to the guidelines attached.
Application [ Word Format, 357kb / opens in new widow ]
Application [ PDF Format, 128kb / opens in new widow ]
Announcement [ Word Format, 78kb / opens in new widow ]
Announcement [ PDF Format, 196kb / opens in new widow ]
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 1, 2008.
For further information, comments or questions please contact our CEO, James R. Konschnik, directly.
He can be reached at 954-454-4156.
Thank you in advance for your interest.
Together WE WILL end breast cancer.
The Foundation awards funds raised through the sale of the End Breast Cancer specialty license plate for basic, clinical and translational breast cancer research, epidemiological studies of breast cancer, research on links between breast cancer and the environment, psycho-immunological research, innovative awards and ideas grants.
The Foundation reviewed its first research grant applications in late summer, 2004, through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense (DOD) Breast Cancer Research Program under its Concept Award Category. The Board of the Foundation has approved five concept award grants of $90,000 each, along with two pre-doctoral grants.
You will need Acrobat Reader to download the Letter of Intent, which gives instructions on the application process; an Application Cover Sheet; and a Grant Agreement Form that outlines what will be expected of grantees. The FBCCRF will announce its 2006 awards process in early 2006.
2006 Grant Awards
Cancer Risk Determination in carriers of BRCA 1 missense mutations
In this grant application researchers propose to develop an alternative strategy to evaluate cancer association of BRCA1 alleles with missense variants using a functional assay that can interrogate variants anywhere in the coding region and examine global biological functions ascribed to BRCA1. The rationale for this application is that the development of a reliable comprehensive functional assay to classify variants in BRCA1 will be important for the early identification of women at risk. In order to establish and validate this functional assay we will accomplish the following specific aims: 1.) To develop a global assay system based on the ability of transfected full length wild type BRCA1 or mutants to restore radiation sensitivity and cell cycle checkpoint activation in BRCA1 null cells; 2) Analyze a series of 25 unclassified variants using optimized assay.
Survivorship Care Plans (SCPs)
In this grant application researchers propose to develop Survivorship Care Plans (SCPs). SCPs are a toll that in theory could increase rates of early diagnosis of secondary cancers and improve quality of care for cancer survivors. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently recommended that oncologists provide patients with SCPs that (a) include information on diagnosis, treatment received, potential side effects, timing of recommended follow-up care, recommended prevention and health maintenance strategies, legal protections for employment and insurance, and availability of local psychosocial support services, and (b) present this information in a clear and effective format to patients. The purpose of this research will be to develop and test the feasibility and effectiveness of SCPs. Effective SCPs need to be comprehensive, standardized, accessible to providers and patients and yet feasible to produce and modify according to patients' specific medical and treatment histories. Also, they need to be understandable to patients of various levels of education and ethnic background. Funding is sought for the concept and development phases of an SCP prototype for use with breast cancer survivors. This preliminary work will lead to future testing of feasibility and outcomes.
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