Translational Molecular Pathology Program

This speaker series consists of monthly seminars delivered by invited speakers who are leading authorities in areas relevant to various disciplines of Translational Science. The goal of this seminar series is to promote interaction of the TMP faculty and trainees with the speakers in order to advance the programmatic efforts of the department. These interactions can include either collaboration or consultation with the speakers in both ongoing and proposed peer reviewed funded projects (SPORE, EDRN and P01, etc.).

Schedule: 2nd Thursday of each month
Time: 11:30 .a.m-12:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Drs. Krishna Bhat, Lawrence Kwong, Subrata Sen & Barbara Sadeghi
Contact: 713-834-6030

This luncheon with our Distinguished Speaker is exclusive to our trainees. It offers a structured interactive environment for trainees to learn about our invited speakers, their career tracks, scientific endeavors and expertise, and strategies for successfully navigating the academic course.

Schedule: 2nd Thursday of each month
Time: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.1007
Organizers: Drs. Rama Soundararajan, Ann Killary & Barbara Sadeghi
Contact: 713-834-6030

A monthly department research presentation forum providing regular opportunities for all trainees to present their ongoing research at length, improve presentation skills, and receive real-time feedback, trouble-shooting help and overall direction for their project/s from faculty and peers alike.

Schedule: 2nd Thursday of each month
Time: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Dr. Mani & Barbara Sadeghi
Contact: 713-834-6030

An annual two-day event organized by a rotating retreat committee and dedicated to faculty/student/fellow/staff collaboration. Faculty present their research in an informal setting while staff help organize and serve as session chairs. There is an extremely active poster session and from this event, prizes are awarded for the classified-, graduate student- and postdoctoral/M.D. Fellow category with the winners in each category being endowed travel funds to present their work at a national meeting.

Schedule: Annually in June
Time: Two-day event
Location: TBD
Organizer: Juan Alejandro III and Sarah Fayle
Contact: 713-563-4269

We sponsor four technical workshops on a quarterly basis to all MD Anderson graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. The technical workshops are led by TMP program faculty as well as faculty throughout the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in core competency areas of translational science, including medical informatics and bioinformatics. Each workshop focusses on one of four interrelated and sequential themes that are fundamental in the clinical history of cancer development and progression, beginning with early detection and surveillance and ending with late-stage disease, metastasis and survivorship (one theme being offered each quarter).

Schedule: February 24, 2016: This first workshop focused on early detection and prevention of cancer

URL: http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/FullVideoPlayer.cfm?mediaID=3C212633-6870-40A7-A4D3-654E018B6185

Schedule: May 10, 2016: This second workshop exposed trainees to treatment strategies for primary tumors including surgery as well as translational methodologies (and concepts to study the resected primary tumors including histopathology and next-generation sequencing).

URL: http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/FullVideoPlayer.cfm?mediaID=C9DFE04E-7928-43F1-8C95-85A96E79351C

Schedule: August 2, 2016: This third workshop focused on Translational Research in Cancer Surveillance.

URL: http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/FullVideoPlayer.cfm?mediaID=6A330320-B6C5-4866-BC52-9EA64F2B57A7

August 2016, and November 2016, future dates, times and locations will be on posted on the institutional calendar and the Research Weekly listserv. 

Time: TBA
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Drs. Bhat, Kwong, Tapia & Taguchi & Sarah Fayle, Project Director
Contact: 713-563-4269

These seminars provide an informal venue for trainees to discuss the challenges of balancing both the requirements of research career in science as well as a satisfying home life. Open to all MD Anderson graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

Schedule: Monthly on rotating Thursdays
Time: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Drs. Ann Killary, Rama Soundararajan & Sarah Fayle, Project Director
Contact: 713-563-4269

These are invited talks by distinguished scientists and industrial leaders (also from a variety of collaborating institutions) who inform trainees about alternate (non-academic) career paths including private industry, Intellectual Property Lawyers, and pharmaceutical companies. Open to all MD Anderson graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

Schedule: Monthly on rotating Thursdays
Time: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Dr. Rama Soundararajan & Sarah Fayle, Project Director
Contact: 713-563-4269

The goals of this forum are to:

1. aid trainees keep up with literature (high-impact journals);
2. allow trainees exposure to a wide variety of study designs and model systems;
3. promote critical appraisal skills (systematic weighing of evidence);
4. promote participation/research analysis/review skills. 

This series has been highly successful in the past years, and includes career counseling sessions (wherein every trainee is encouraged to draft a personalized career plan), and also offers extensive training on fine-tuning scientific presentation skills. 

Schedule: Biweekly on every other Friday, enrollment rotates every 6 months
Time: 12:30-2 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizer: Dr. Rama Soundararajan & Barbara Sadeghi
Contact: 713-834-6030