20 Years in the Making: Advancing Postdoctoral Training in Translational Behavioral Oncology

The Translational Behavioral Oncology Postdoctoral Training Program at Moffitt Cancer Center, funded by the National Cancer Institute (T32CA090314), prepares postdoctoral fellows to excel in highly interdisciplinary and collaborative cancer research environments. This program leverages Moffitt's robust faculty expertise and institutional resources, and draws from various disciplines engaged in cancer research, including behavioral science, population science, health communication, nursing, and medicine. Over the past 20 years, this program has recruited a talented and diverse pool of postdoctoral trainees (n = 47) who have acquired the requisite knowledge, skills, and experience to become successful independent investigators in behavioral oncology. In this paper, the training components and outcomes over the past two decades are reported with a particular focus on trainee and mentor evaluations of core components from the 2019-2024 cycle. These findings provide insights for developing and optimizing postdoctoral training in cancer prevention and control, serving as a model for advancing the careers of the next generation of cancer researchers.