The Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC) congratulates the first two graduates of the HDFCCC K12 Physician Scientist Program in Clinical Oncology (PSPCO). Launched in 2022 by the Office of Education and Training, the program was designed to train clinical scientists to collaborate with discovery scientists and to conduct impactful, innovative, and patient-centered research.
Cancer Center members Bridget Keenan, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine and co-leader of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program, and Cheryl Peretz, MD, assistant professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, are the first two physician-scientists to complete the two-year curriculum.
Below, Dr. Keenan shares what motivated her to join the K12 program, the ways in which the program shaped her research focus and career trajectory, and the importance of mentorship.
Congratulations on becoming one of the first scholars to complete the HDFCCC K12 Physician Scientist Program in Clinical Oncology (PSPCO)! What drew you to participate in this two-year program?
When I heard about this newly launched program, it sounded like the perfect fit for me. My career is unique in that I have trained as a lab-based physician scientist and then joined the faculty in a track that better fit my translational research career goals. As a clinical trialist, I was ready to launch into being the lead investigator of immunotherapy studies. However, I needed to balance that with translational research projects. The K12 PSPCO was a good match for someone who wants to spend a significant amount of their time doing research and has a need for the support and funding that an internal K award can provide in the early career period.
The PSPCO provides up to 75% protected time for patient-centered cancer research. Please tell us about the focus of your work.
I perform translational research focused on the immune response to gastrointestinal cancers and mechanisms of immunotherapy response and resistance. During my fellowship at UCSF, I worked in Dr. Larry Fong’s lab and uncovered specific myeloid cells in the circulation of biliary cancer patients that associated with resistance to checkpoint inhibitor therapy and could suppress T cells in a novel fashion. I have built on this work to investigate this myeloid cell state in other cancer types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is a complex cancer type as patients often have other co-morbidities such as hepatitis and liver dysfunction which can impact their immune system. I am interested in understanding more about how liver disease impacts how the immune system responds to treatment for HCC.
As part of the PSPCO curriculum, you've attended multiple workshops on clinically driven discovery science, the practical aspects of clinical trials, and career development and leadership. Which of these trainings were the most impactful for you, and why?
During oncology fellowship, I trained in clinical trials mainly by working with my mentors in clinic, so having the didactic sessions in clinical trials from the PSPCO was a valuable complement to that training. In the beginning of the program, we had a week-long course that walked us through the whole trial process from bench to the bedside, and we had dedicated time to workshop our own trial ideas. That process helped me draft proposals for several investigator-initiated trials. In addition to the clinical trial-focused sessions, the experiential learning such as attending IRB meetings was highly relevant for my career.
Looking for more training? Registration now open for Fall 2024 'Concept to Completion' seminars!
Conceived for the PSPCO but open to all cancer center fellows and early career faculty, the Concept to Completion: Strategies for Successful Clinical Trials seminar series provides practical information about designing, funding, and conducting oncology clinical trials. Coming up in Fall 2024:
Aug 15: Fostering Diversity in Clinical Research
Aug 29: Clinical Trial Protocol Structure and Review
Nov 7: Informed Consent and Clinical Trial Ethics
Nov 14: Types of Trials and Sponsors and the General Activation Process
What role has mentorship played in this program? Please talk a bit about your experience.
At the beginning of this program, I already had two mentors I had been working with since my fellowship, Drs. Larry Fong and Katie Kelley, both in the clinic and on research projects. They remained as a key part of my K12 experience. As part of the K12 program, I was also designated a “career mentor,” Dr. Jennifer Grandis. Having Dr. Grandis on my mentorship team yielded valuable insights from a faculty member outside my immediate division and department. The PSPCO provided a structure in the form of regular meetings of my mentorship team and crafting an IDP. Going forward, I will continue to value their insights as I progress in my faculty career.
What's on the horizon research-wise? What are you looking forward to in the coming year?
I am continuing my research in immunotherapy and gastrointestinal cancers to better understand how these therapies work, and how we can improve on current treatment options. I have an exciting new role as the co-leader of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program (CIP) where I will oversee our clinical trials program. I am also leading our biobanking efforts so that we can capture valuable samples from patients being treated with immunotherapy. In particular, I am interested in novel engineered cell therapies, which are a new frontier in solid tumor malignancies.