POSITION DESCRIPTION



PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF BREAST CANCER
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH



ARIZONA CANCER CENTER
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE



Inquiries to: Setsuko K. Chambers, MD
Chair, Search Committee
schambers@azcc.arizona.edu


For application procedures go to: http://www.uacareertrack.com
Search for Job #35684


Arizona Cancer Center
1515 N. Campbell Avenue
PO Box 245024
Tucson, Arizona
Telephone: (520) 626-0950
FAX: (520) 626-8574


INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW

The University of Arizona, founded in 1885 - nearly 3 decades before Arizona became a state -by the 13th territorial legislature, is Arizona?s land-grant University. The University currently has about 37,000 students enrolled and has 14,000 employees.

The University of Arizona, a Doctoral/Research Extensive university (Carnegie classification, formerly called Research I university), is ranked 14th among public universities and 21stamong all universities for total research and development spending by the National Science Foundation.

The Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC) occupies 48+ acres, an approximate 10 minute walk from the main University of Arizona campus and employs 4,000 people. It is comprised of the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health, and the Arizona Cancer Center, which is an NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The College of Medicine alone has a total annual budget of about $335 million including $120 million in grants and gifts. Within the AHSC there are 18 centers designated by the Arizona Board of Regents as centers of excellence, including the Arizona Arthritis Center, the Arizona Cancer Center, the Arizona Center on Aging, the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center, the Arizona Respiratory Center, the Steele Memorial Children?s Research Center, the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, and the Valley Fever Center of Excellence. The newest addition to this prestigious list is the UA National Center of Excellence in Women?s Health.

Research core facilities and services include Transgenic Mouse and Genetically Modified Mice Cores, a Flow Cytometry Shared Service, a Biological Magnetic Resonance Facility, a Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting Facility, a Genomic Analysis and Technology Core, a DNA Sequencing Facility, a Cellular Imaging Core, and a Proteomic Core facility.

There are several major capital projects underway: The Thomas W. Keating BioResearch Building will support interdisciplinary molecular life sciences research and is expected to bring together 30 faculty scientists and 300 researchers, including neuroscientists, respiratory scientists, medicinal chemists and cancer researchers. The BioResearch Building will be completed in the fall of 2006, and will add 169,000 gross square feet (101,000 net) of research space. The Medical Research Building, projected to be complete in fall 2006, will house 48 faculty with research focus on health problems of importance to Arizona residents (aging, diabetes, heart disease and cancer). The Medical Research Building will add 135,000 gross square feet (81,000 net).

The College of Medicine as of March 2004 is under the direction of Dean Keith Joiner M.D., M.P.H., formerly of Yale University. The College has 105 full time basic science faculty in five departments, and 385 full time clinical faculty in 14 departments. The College of Medicine admits 110 medical students a year and has a total enrollment of about 450 medical students. There are strong graduate programs in cancer biology, cell biology & anatomy, epidemiology, biomedical engineering, genetics, pharmacology & toxicology, physiology and public health.
ARIZONA CANCER CENTER

Mission
The Arizona Cancer Center?s mission is to ?prevent and cure cancer? through excellence in patient care, research, and education. The 200 Arizona Cancer Center members are among the best-recognized researchers and clinicians in the fields of cancer research and treatment in the United States and internationally. In the past five years, researchers at the Arizona Cancer Center have brought more than $200 million in research grants and contracts to the University of Arizona and the state. These research dollars directly reflect the Center?s ongoing dedication to achieving that mission. The Arizona Cancer Center ranks 16th among NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in NIH funding.

History
The concept for the Arizona Cancer Center was approved as a part of the College of Medicine in 1972 by the Arizona Board of Regents. Sydney E. Salmon, M.D., was named founding director in 1976. The institution was designated a ?cancer center? by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 1978. The Arizona Cancer Center received the prestigious ?comprehensive cancer center? status from the NCI in 1990. Today it is one of only 40 such institutions in the United States. The Arizona Cancer Center has always been an active and important player in national cooperative clinical trials groups such as the Southwest Oncology Group and the Gynecologic Oncology Group.

Leadership
On January 1, 2005, Dr. David S. Alberts became the new Cancer Center Director. Dr. Alberts is a Regents? Professor of medicine, pharmacology, nutritional science, and public health at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and has successfully developed and directed one of the nation?s most prestigious programs in Cancer Prevention and Control from 1989-2005. He is also a national and international leader in therapeutic trials for ovarian cancer. He has great vision for the Arizona Cancer Center and has already begun to grow the research and clinical enterprises throughout the state.

Faculty
Our distinguished faculty include:

Raymond B. Nagle, M.D., Ph.D.?Deputy Director of the Arizona Cancer Center
Robert T. Dorr, Ph.D.?Director, Therapeutic Development Program
M. Peter Lance, M.D.?Co-Director, Cancer Prevention and Control
Mar? Elena Mart?ez, Ph.D.?Co-Director, Cancer Prevention and Control
Anne E. Cress, Ph.D.? Associate Dean of Research, College of Medicine
Timothy Bowden, Ph.D.?Director of Division of Basic Research
Robert J. Gillies, Ph.D.?Director, Cancer Imaging and Technology Program
Eugene Gerner, Ph.D.?Director, Gastrointestinal Cancer Program
Jesse Martinez, Ph.D. ?Director of Research Education
Thomas P. Miller, M.D.?Chief, Section Hematology/Oncology
Baldassarre Stea, M.D., Ph.D.?Head, Department of Radiation Oncology
Hugo V. Villar, M.D.?Chief, Section Surgical Oncology; Interim Chair, Department of Surgery

New faculty are continually being recruited to expand and enhance our research efforts. Dr. Setsuko K. Chambers, M.D., came to us from Yale University to become the Director of Women?s Cancers on July 1, 2004. In addition, Andrew M. Yeager, M.D came to us from University of Pittsburg Medical Center, and serves as the Director of Clinical Research at the AZCC. He has expertise in blood and marrow transplant. There have been several other recent notable recruits including Scott Leischow, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Strategic Partnerships and Policy with expertise in behavioral research in smoking cessation, Bob Livingston, M.D., an experienced breast cancer medical oncologist and Chair of the Breast Committee for the Southwest Oncology Group, and Kate Dixon, Ph.D., Chair of the Molecular and Cellular Biology and the new Director of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program. As always, the influx of new leadership and new investigators will continue to stimulate our scientific progress.

Structure
The foundation of the Arizona Cancer Center is built on its four divisions: Basic Science, Translational and Clinical Research, Cancer Prevention and Control, and Women?s Cancers. These four divisions are comprised of six programs and 20 shared services.

Facilities
The Arizona Cancer Center is comprised of two five-story buildings with a combined space of nearly 108,000 square feet. The buildings encompass a multidisciplinary oncology clinic and 64 research laboratories and are designed to place faculty close to their respective focus or expertise. Thus, basic research faculty have offices close to their laboratories, and clinical research faculty have offices close to the clinic.

The Cancer Center is moving rapidly forward in its collaboration with the University Medical Center to build a new cancer clinic complex on a 17 acre site just north of our current facility. This proposed building has an expected occupancy date of October 2006, and will increase our clinical space by an estimated 50% and will allow us to reconfigure the existing clinical space into research space and offices totaling 31,000 square feet.

In addition, the Cancer Center has been allocated approximately 10,500+ square feet in the new Medical Research Building, which is due for completion in January 2006. This space will provide up to 20 new laboratories for an estimated 8-10 new investigators.

Major programs have been placed at the Virginia Piper Cancer Center, home of the Arizona Cancer Center in the Greater Phoenix area. Five thousand square feet of space in the facility now has been finalized and allowed for the expansion of the Cancer Prevention and Control program at the center, located in Scottsdale. In addition, there continue to be significant new patients being enrolled on new therapeutics clinical trials at the Scottsdale site, with more trials being added every month.

Lastly, the College of Medicine is expanding onto a second medical school campus in downtown Phoenix, which allows for significant growth of the Arizona Cancer Center into the Phoenix area. DIVISION OF BASIC RESEARCH

The Basic Research Division seeks to obtain a better understanding of the biological processes that underlie the development and progression of cancer, and to support the timely transfer of the latest laboratory findings into clinical applications. The goal is to, through an interdisciplinary approach, develop clinical applications of knowledge gained through basic research conducted within the division.

The Arizona Cancer Center encourages dynamic translational research by fostering close collaboration between basic and clinical scientists. By increasing the flow of information between basic and clinical investigators, potential therapies which may have activity in subsets of cancer may be tested more quickly in clinical trials. It is the Cancer Center?s goal to foster an open environment, where collaboration is encouraged, and communication is valued. A testimony to this philosophy is the successful application and maintenance of six program projects and/or SPORES within the Arizona Cancer Center.

The two programs within this Division all excel at coordinating the activities of multidisciplinary teams of investigators to ensure that they achieve their goals. Productivity continues to grow with the ongoing recruitment of exceptionally talented investigators into new and enhanced basic research activities.

The director of this division oversees the NCI Cancer Center Programs in Cancer Metastasis and Signaling, Molecular Genetics, and Cancer Imaging as well as the following shared services: Analytical Core, Cancer Imaging, Dishwashing, Experimental Mouse, Experimental Radiation, Flow Cytometry, Genetically Modified Mice, Genomics, Molecular Modeling/Computational Chemistry, Proteomics, Synthetic Chemistry, Bioinformatics, and Tissue Culture.

Division of Basic Research?Programs
There are two programs in the Cancer Center which fall under the auspices of this Division.

Cancer Biology and Genetics Program: The central theme of this program is to investigate genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of cancer development and progression. A goal is to create synergy between the AZCC and other biologists on campus. One tactic in meeting this goal was the import of a core of genetics oriented faculty into the AZCC, primarily from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) in the College of Science.

Cancer Imaging Program: The Cancer Imaging Program was established in 2003. Its mission is to improve the capabilities and applications of imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Three focus areas have been identified include: (1) the use of imaging to monitor therapy; (2) to develop applications of imaging at the molecular level; and (3) to develop and apply new imaging hardware and software. Each of these areas is associated with extramural grant funding and is divided into ?flagship? and ?developmental? programs.





Division of Basic Research?Shared Services
There are twenty shared services available at the Arizona Cancer Center to support investigators. The following shared services fall under the umbrella of this division.

Analytical Core ? provides expertise in developing/implementing analytical procedures, designing sample collection schedules, developing proper sample handling and storage conditions, performing quantitative analysis of drug/chemical levels, and pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic data interpretation and analysis.

Bioinformatics ? Assists research investigators with access to Internet tools and resources in cancer research and related fields; generates computer programs and scripts to collect large data sets, analyze them and display the results on Web pages; provides database and data warehouse environments for analysis of biological data on cancer cells and tissues; and assists researchers with mining these data in order to discover new relationships within them.

Cancer Imaging - provides easy access to state-of-the-art in vivo imaging capabilities, including PET/SPECT, MR, and various optical approaches. The initial goal of the analysis facility was to assist cancer center researchers with analysis of complex image data sets, particularly diffusion MRI data from breast cancer patients. In addition, operation of two confocal microscopes was brought under the purview of the imaging core facility.

Dishwashing ? provides dishwashing and autoclaving service for bench scientists so they do not have to maintain space, equipment, and personnel to perform these essential tasks.

Experimental Mouse ? provides technical and scientific expertise in experimental mouse models with an emphasis on severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mouse human tumor models.

Experimental Radiation ? provides easy access, at a reasonable cost, to ionizing radiation for experimental purposes along with necessary training and certification for new users.

Flow Cytometry ? provides state-of-the-art collection, analysis and cell sorting capabilities including such techniques as detection and analysis of cell surface markers, cancer chemotherapeutic agents, reporter dyes, intracellular proteins, cell cycle analysis/apoptosis studies, soluble cytokine detection and cell sorting.

Genetically Modified Mice ? provides the technology to create transgenic and knockout mice in a time-, labor-, and funding-efficient manner and helps with development of mouse models that will address their specific cancer research.

Genomics ? provides AZCC investigators with access to technologies for measuring gene expression, primarily in the mouse and human models.? Services include labeling and hybridization, scanning, data analysis, and data archiving through a secure Web site.

Molecular Modeling and Computational Chemistry ? provides molecular modeling support for ongoing projects involving the design of new anticancer compounds. Services provided include structure-based design techniques, molecular docking studies, and molecular mechanics molecular dynamics simulations as well as pharmacophore-based modeling, identification of pharmacophore, three-dimensional quantitative structure?activity relationship (3D-QSAR), and virtual screening of small molecule databases.

Proteomics ? provides for the systematic analysis of proteins for their identity, quantity, and function via state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and peripheral instrumentation, as well as through experienced personnel trained in the implementation of proteomic procedures, evaluation and interpretation of proteomics-related data.

Synthetic Chemistry ? provides custom synthesis of chemicals not commercially available.

Tissue Culture ? provides services that support high-quality, cost-effective research with in vitro models of human cancers.
DIVISION OF TRANSLATIONAL/CLINICAL RESEARCH

Under the directorship of our new Cancer Center Director, our vision is to make translational research a primary focus of the Arizona Cancer Center. The Division of Translational Research has a strong history of successful bench to bedside research. The Director provides focus to translational research across all areas of expertise throughout the Cancer Center.

The Director of the Translational/Clinical Research Division coordinates the organization of disease-oriented investigator groups and facilitates clinical development of novel agents with laboratory methods for in vivo target assessment. He/she will provide initial oversight and review of novel therapeutics, facilitate access to selected agents and the development of proper correlative assays, and work to coordinate access to shared laboratory services and equipment necessary for clinical trial support. The director oversees the NCI Cancer Center Programs in Therapeutic Development and GI Cancer as well as the shared services under the Division including Clinical Research, Biometry, Research Pharmacy, and Tissue Acquisition & Molecular/ Cellular Analysis.

Division of Translational /Clinical Research?Programs
There are two programs in the Cancer Center which fall under the auspices of this Division.

Therapeutic Development Program: The Therapeutic Development Program discovers new molecular targets relevant to cancer and develops therapeutic interventions to act upon these targets. This is a relatively large program with 26 investigators representing 12 academic departments. This highly interactive and productive group published 63 peer-reviewed papers during the last year.

GI Cancer Program ? the group of laboratory and clinical scientists working together to plan, design, and implement research programs that impact on GI cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and control.

Division of Translational /Clinical Research ? Shared Services
There are twenty shared services available at the Arizona Cancer Center to support investigators. The following shared services fall under the umbrella of this division.

Clinical Research ? integrates and facilitates the management, coordination and conduct of clinical research at the AZCC and ensures that the clinical trial processes meets local, state, and federal policies and regulations.

Biometry ? brings together expertise in biostatistics, clinical trials, epidemiology, applied mathematics, statistical computing, and database applications to support clinical, translational, basic, and population research.

Research Pharmacy ? responsible for centralize investigational drug logistics for all clinical studies performed at the AZCC.

Tissue Acquisition and Molecular/Cellular Analysis ? focuses on molecular analysis and acquisition of human tissue and provides collection, preservation and management of human tissue and body fluids for AZCC investigators.
DIVISION OF WOMEN?S CANCERS

The Arizona Cancer Center recently established a Division of Women?s Cancers to create a focused multidisciplinary approach from the basic science, translational research, and clinical perspectives to the prevention, screening, early diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship of women with breast and gynecologic cancers. Setsuko K. Chambers, MD was recruited from Yale University to head this new division which will promote collaboration across departments in the area of breast and gynecologic cancers.

Dr. Chambers? vision for the new division includes the following:

To become the academic tertiary referral center in the Southwest for the prevention, screening, early diagnosis, treatment, palliation, and survivorship of women with breast and gynecologic cancers.
To build a state-of-the-art clinical facility that is well-functioning, efficient, and friendly for both patients and providers which offers outstanding ancillary services, including social work support, nutritional and genetic counseling, mental health care services, palliative care specialists, and tumor imaging.
To build a collaborative multi-disciplinary group consisting of specialists from medical oncology, surgical oncology, gynecologic oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, reconstructive surgery, radiology, and psychiatry.
To develop a top-rated translational research program bringing together basic scientists, translational researchers, physician-scientists, and clinicians from many disciplines, building on the strength of the AZCC in translating findings from the bench to the bedside. The research will be aimed towards preventing the cancers, and improving the care, outcome, and comfort of women with cancer.

Currently, the clinical faculty from medical, surgical, gynecologic, radiation oncology, pathology, and psychiatry, who are all members of the Arizona Cancer Center, are of high caliber. Many are translational researchers, and some are physician-scientists who have their own laboratory research effort.

Last year, the new division held its first Women?s Cancers Scientific Retreat. The intent of the retreat was three-fold: to start a process of identifying investigators to be part of the division; to start planning for program project type grant submissions; and to establish priorities for core facilities most important to research in the division. The retreat proved to be an overwhelming success. Nearly 50 abstracts were received from faculty from many different departments throughout the University. The scientific caliber of the presentations was impressive and spanned areas of cancer prevention, early detection, community outreach/ diversity, tumor imaging, molecular pathways and cancer biology, and quality of life.

Areas targeted for growth include clinical and research faculty recruitment, clinical ancillary health care provider recruitment, expansion of clinical infrastructure, expansion of shared resources, new equipment acquisitions, and expansion of pilot funding for seed projects.
DIVISION OF CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL

The Division of Cancer Prevention and Control has as its central mission the prevention of cancer. The overall goals of the division are:

To provide an academic atmosphere that fosters the development and advancement of junior faculty and post-doctoral fellows;
To strengthen translational research in cancer prevention and control; and
To enhance cancer screening and survivorship in Arizona.

The Division research goals are focused with the view of cancer as a continuum, from the at-risk individual, to the first initiated cell, through progression to treatment and supportive care. This approach provides the Arizona Cancer Center with a strong prevention platform that enables research and intervention at multiple points along the cancer continuum.

Recent Division accomplishments include the successful re-competition of the Phase I/II Chemoprevention Research Contract with the National Cancer Institute and the initiation of a genetics counseling service. The Division of Cancer Prevention and Control has two Core Shared Services that provide support to the Arizona Cancer Center: 1) the Special Populations Shared Service and 2) the Behavioral Measurement Shared Service. The Division also oversees the R25T Cancer Prevention Training Program.

Division Programs

Cancer Prevention and Control: This premier program is co-directed by Drs. Peter Lance and M. Elena Mart?ez. This program is the largest in the Cancer Center with eight research subsections including Basic Science, Nutritional Sciences, Clinical Trials, Supportive Care, Minority Populations, Biometry, Epidemiology, and Health Promotion. The primary scientific goal of this Program is to develop and implement basic, translational, clinical, and population-based epidemiologic research projects in cancer prevention and control that integrate the scientific interests and expertise of a multi-disciplinary research team. The interactive group of 70 investigators that represent each of the research subsections has published 101 peer-reviewed papers over the last year. This program is supported by over $15.9 million dollars in annual direct dollars from peer-review research grants. The program has two program project grants: the Chemoprevention of Skin Cancer Program Project and the Colon Cancer Prevention Program Project, which serve as the intellectual glue for the strong collaborations within the program faculty.

For more information on the Cancer Prevention and Control Program visit the Cancer Center website at www.azcc.arizona.edu.

THE POSITION

The Arizona Cancer Center, part of the University of Arizona College of Medicine, is seeking a mid-level or senior scientist or physician-scientist to establish and direct its scientific effort targeting the prevention and cure of breast cancer. The ideal candidate will be an independent investigator with a well-established laboratory-based research program. He/she will be the recipient of the $2 million Endowed Chair of Breast Cancer Translational Research. The Chair will provide strategic leadership and direction for translational breast cancer research and work to put the Arizona Cancer Center at the forefront of breast cancer research, treatment, and prevention locally, nationally, and internationally.

The Chair of Breast Cancer Translational Research will work collaboratively with the Cancer Center Director, Director of Women?s Cancers, and other leaders of the Arizona Cancer Center to build on excellence in existing breast cancer research.

The chair will have the following responsibilities and opportunities:

Maintain a clinical practice focused on breast cancer, if a clinician.
Maintain his/her own active research program and extramural funding.
Serve as a spokesperson and advocate for the breast cancer program, both in the University and in the community.
Work closely with the Cancer Center Director, Director of Women?s Cancers, and other leaders of the Arizona Cancer Center to expand existing breast cancer research efforts.
As the chair of the breast cancer research effort, provide excellent leadership that promotes professional development among existing faculty members including the mentoring of junior and mid-level faculty.
Enhance and expand the research portfolio of the program through recruitment of highly- motivated and well-qualified faculty, staff and students.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Tenure eligible background.
A distinguished record as a researcher, and academician with a research program at the forefront of breast cancer research.
Demonstrated leadership experience including administrative experience and skills.
Experienced in faculty recruitment, mentoring and development.
Motivated to promote a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to breast cancer translational research.
Willingness to build on the Cancer Center?s tradition of successful bench to bedside research.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
THE LOCATION

The University of Arizona is located in the city of Tucson, with a multicultural population that reflects the richness of the Southwest. The city has a population of over 750,000 inhabitants.

The city is surrounded by majestic desert and rugged mountains rising to more than 9,000 feet. Southern Arizona has more than three hundred days of sunshine per year, more than any other region in the US.

The cost of living in the area is low and housing is affordable. Several highly-ranked private and public schools are available in a community that is culturally and ethnically diverse. The Tucson International Airport is served by all major air carriers.

Tucson offers a variety of cultural activities. The city hosts theater, opera, symphony and ballet companies, as well as the internationally-famous gem show, rodeos and many street and ethnic festivals. UA Presents brings in Broadway theater and internationally renowned companies.

The University of Arizona?s intercollegiate athletics program ranks among the nation?s top 10 each year in overall performance on the playing fields. The University of Arizona also provides exciting intercollegiate sports events--our Wildcat basketball, football, softball, swimming and volleyball teams are famous nationwide--as well as intramural sports and sports clubs. Phoenix, an hour and a half away, is the home of the World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks as well as the Arizona Cardinals and the Phoenix Suns.

Cultural activities on-campus include: Arizona Repertory Theatre, Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium, Arizona Historical Society, Arizona State Museum, Museum of Art, Center for Creative Photography, Poetry Center and the UA presents. Off campus include: Old Tucson Studios, Children?s Museum, Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson Botanical Gardens, and Saguaro National Park.

For more information about Tucson visit: http://www.arizona.edu/prospective/tucson.shtml

Arizona Cancer Center




12