Training and Education
Coursework and Enrichment Opportunities for All Trainees:
Course in Cancer Immunology. The Program Director leads an annual course in Cancer Immunology at HMS that focuses on key mechanistic principles in this rapidly advancing field. It is primarily designed for graduate students but also audited by postdoctoral fellows. The Program Director took the initiative to offer the course (first in 2013) and designed the curriculum with input from other faculty. The course consists of 7 weekly 2 hour sessions with an introductory 30 minute lecture and in depth discussion of three seminal publications on a chosen topic. For the 2014 course, these included:
Weekly Work in Progress Meetings organized by the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology. This is a weekly meeting at which each graduate student and postdoctoral fellow presents their progress on an annual basis. This meeting is well attended by faculty and trainees (~40-50 attendees per week) and lunch is provided. There are lively discussions of the data and their implications, and faculty provide feedback to each trainee after their seminar on presentation style, in an effort to polish this critical skill set. We also provide trainees with the opportunity to give a ‘job seminar’ when they their work is nearing completion, and emphasize feedback on how to make such presentations effective. All trainees will be required to participate on a weekly basis. We will also extend invitations to other faculty involved in this training program and ask them to participate when their trainees are presenting their work. These presentations give the Program Director and the Executive Committee the opportunity to monitor the progress of each trainee.
Annual retreat organized by the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology. This annual retreat takes place at the MIT Endicott House, an estate located in a scenic setting in the Boston area, within short driving distance from the Longwood Medical Campus. The conference center has an amphitheater-style lecture hall and a large foyer. The main house has a large deck for lunch and outdoor discussions. The morning features presentations by faculty and trainees selected during an abstract competition; the afternoon features a poster session at which trainees present their work. Awards are given for best posters in several categories. Faculty of this training program have organized this annual retreat and given keynote lectures, including Dr. Darrell Irvine in 2016, Dr. Haining in 2015 and Dr. Mooney in 2014. This retreat offers trainees an opportunity to learn about significant advances in cancer immunology and to interact with trainees and faculty from all participating institutions in an informal setting.
The Annual Benacerraf Lecture in Cancer Immunology. This annual lecture is a highlight of the academic year in cancer immunology at DFCI and HMS. The lecture honors the contributions of Dr. Baruj Benacerraf, a Nobel Laureate who served as President of DFCI. During his tenure, he substantially expanded the immunology program at HMS and DFCI. The lecture highlights the contributions of leading scientists to basic cancer immunology and cancer immunotherapy (see Appendix). In 2013, Dr. Suzanne Topalian from Johns Hopkins University presented the clinical efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies in melanoma, lung and kidney cancer; in 2014, Dr. Jerome Galon from INSERM in Paris described the impact of tumor-infiltrating T cells and B cells on patient survival; in 2015, Dr. Robert Schreiber from Washington University described his seminal studies on immune editing and the critical role of neoepitope-specific T cells in tumor immunity; in 2016, Dr. Jeffrey Ravetch from Rockefeller University presented his work generating antibodies for treatment of HIV with enhanced breadth and potency. Trainees will have the opportunity to meet with a faculty member before the seminar to discuss key discoveries by the speaker, with the goal of providing with them the background knowledge and confidence to ask questions at the seminar. They will also be invited to the dinner honoring the speaker.
Fellowship Strategy Meetings for Trainees. These meetings are held on a quarterly or as-needed basis to provide individualized grant writing help. Postdocs interested in writing a fellowship are invited to submit a description of their specific aims and an outline of their proposal to the faculty mentor. These materials are then reviewed in a small group setting (2-4 postdocs). This way, each postdoc in attendance benefits not only from constructive feedback on his/her own writing, but also from hearing and helping to critique the writing of their peers.
Recommended Lectures to Advance Knowledge in Immunology, Immunotherapy and Tumor Biology:
Wednesday Seminar in Immunology. The Wednesday Seminar is the weekly highlight of immunology at HMS. It is organized by the Program in Immunology and features leading immunologists who describe their latest advances. It is common for our speakers to present a substantial body of unpublished exciting data. It is very important for our cancer immunology trainees to have a firm conceptual understanding of immunological mechanisms. While many of the talks do not specifically focus on cancer immunology, many discoveries are highly relevant for anti-tumor immunity. For example, it was first shown in chronic viral infections that sustained antigen stimulation results in PD-1 overexpression and T cell exhaustion, and that targeting of the PD-1 pathway substantially improves viral control (a memorable seminar by Dr. Rafi Ahmed in 2006).
Dana-Farber Immunology Seminar Series. This seminar series is organized by Dr. Stephanie Dougan and Dr. Philip Kranzusch in the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology and features both local and outside speakers. We also give senior postdoctoral fellows/instructors who have made exciting discoveries the opportunity to present. Presentations have an emphasis on cancer immunology and basic discoveries in immunology. This seminar series is widely attended by our trainees (~50-60 participants) and lunch is provided. It provides our trainees with an opportunity to learn about ongoing work at both institutions and to establish collaborations on exciting new discoveries or technologies.
DF/HCC Oncology Seminar Series. Each Tuesday afternoon, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center hosts a guest speaker in oncology. Speakers are invited from around the country. Students and postdoctoral fellows are afforded the opportunity to meet with the guest speakers at lunch. This seminar series gives trainees the opportunity to learn about exciting discoveries in oncology which is essential for well-rounded training in cancer immunology.
Swerling Lectures. Each year DFCI serves as host to three world-renowned speakers within a defined field of expertise. Following three presentations in the afternoon, there is a reception and dinner for the lecturers. Before and after the lectures, time is set aside for each speaker to meet with DF/HCC students and faculty. The Swerling Lectures for 2014, organized by Training Program mentor Carl Novina, were entitled “The Interplay of Genetics and Microenvironment in Cancer” and speakers were Drs. David Bowtell (Melbourne), Joan Brugge (HMS) and Ernst Lengyel (University of Chicago).
Pipelines in Oncology. A seminar series titled "Pipelines in Oncology" is popular with many of the trainees considering careers in biotechnology or the pharmaceutical industry. This series features oncology program leaders from industry discussing promising projects and products in their oncology portfolio, with a focus on the rationale for choosing to develop new clinical candidates. During the visit, postdoctoral trainees can sign up to meet one on one with these leaders in oncology. In 2015, leaders in Oncology from companies including Novartis, ImmunoGen, AZ/MedImmune, Epizyme and Bristol-Meyers-Squibb have presented in this series.
Other Training and Enrichment Opportunities:
Annual Retreat of the Harvard Program in Immunology. The second year graduate students organize the annual retreat at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, assisted by the Immunology Program Administrator. The students select and invite a keynote speaker and determine a roster of speakers drawn from the pool of graduate students and immunology faculty. All students are required to give a talk during their graduate careers and to present a poster at each retreat. Postdoctoral fellows are also invited to attend and encouraged to present a poster. Attendance at the retreat is approximately 120 individuals, including students, faculty and postdocs. The retreat is an important event that helps cement interactions between junior and more senior students, and greatly contributes to faculty/student interactions. Apart from the focus on academic interactions, we also invite participation from scientists from the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. On occasion industry representatives have given talks or presented a poster on how the career of a scientist can unfold outside of academia.
Cross-Institutional Tumor Immunity Retreat. We are organizing retreat for the cancer immunology community from Harvard and affiliated institutions, MIT and the Broad Institute to take place in November 2015. This initiative is led by two faculty members of this Training Program, Drs. Hacohen and Haining. The retreat provides a forum to discuss exciting new developments in the field and to identify opportunities for collaborative research initiatives. We plan such retreats on an annual basis.
Course in Cancer Immunology. The Program Director leads an annual course in Cancer Immunology at HMS that focuses on key mechanistic principles in this rapidly advancing field. It is primarily designed for graduate students but also audited by postdoctoral fellows. The Program Director took the initiative to offer the course (first in 2013) and designed the curriculum with input from other faculty. The course consists of 7 weekly 2 hour sessions with an introductory 30 minute lecture and in depth discussion of three seminal publications on a chosen topic. For the 2014 course, these included:
- Mechanisms of spontaneous protective anti-tumor immunity
- Key effector cell populations of anti-tumor immunity
- Inflammation and tumor microenvironment
- Immunosuppressive mechanisms in tumor immunity
- Therapeutic targeting of inhibitory receptors
- Cancer vaccines
- Approaches for activation of the innate immune system
Weekly Work in Progress Meetings organized by the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology. This is a weekly meeting at which each graduate student and postdoctoral fellow presents their progress on an annual basis. This meeting is well attended by faculty and trainees (~40-50 attendees per week) and lunch is provided. There are lively discussions of the data and their implications, and faculty provide feedback to each trainee after their seminar on presentation style, in an effort to polish this critical skill set. We also provide trainees with the opportunity to give a ‘job seminar’ when they their work is nearing completion, and emphasize feedback on how to make such presentations effective. All trainees will be required to participate on a weekly basis. We will also extend invitations to other faculty involved in this training program and ask them to participate when their trainees are presenting their work. These presentations give the Program Director and the Executive Committee the opportunity to monitor the progress of each trainee.
Annual retreat organized by the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology. This annual retreat takes place at the MIT Endicott House, an estate located in a scenic setting in the Boston area, within short driving distance from the Longwood Medical Campus. The conference center has an amphitheater-style lecture hall and a large foyer. The main house has a large deck for lunch and outdoor discussions. The morning features presentations by faculty and trainees selected during an abstract competition; the afternoon features a poster session at which trainees present their work. Awards are given for best posters in several categories. Faculty of this training program have organized this annual retreat and given keynote lectures, including Dr. Darrell Irvine in 2016, Dr. Haining in 2015 and Dr. Mooney in 2014. This retreat offers trainees an opportunity to learn about significant advances in cancer immunology and to interact with trainees and faculty from all participating institutions in an informal setting.
The Annual Benacerraf Lecture in Cancer Immunology. This annual lecture is a highlight of the academic year in cancer immunology at DFCI and HMS. The lecture honors the contributions of Dr. Baruj Benacerraf, a Nobel Laureate who served as President of DFCI. During his tenure, he substantially expanded the immunology program at HMS and DFCI. The lecture highlights the contributions of leading scientists to basic cancer immunology and cancer immunotherapy (see Appendix). In 2013, Dr. Suzanne Topalian from Johns Hopkins University presented the clinical efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies in melanoma, lung and kidney cancer; in 2014, Dr. Jerome Galon from INSERM in Paris described the impact of tumor-infiltrating T cells and B cells on patient survival; in 2015, Dr. Robert Schreiber from Washington University described his seminal studies on immune editing and the critical role of neoepitope-specific T cells in tumor immunity; in 2016, Dr. Jeffrey Ravetch from Rockefeller University presented his work generating antibodies for treatment of HIV with enhanced breadth and potency. Trainees will have the opportunity to meet with a faculty member before the seminar to discuss key discoveries by the speaker, with the goal of providing with them the background knowledge and confidence to ask questions at the seminar. They will also be invited to the dinner honoring the speaker.
Fellowship Strategy Meetings for Trainees. These meetings are held on a quarterly or as-needed basis to provide individualized grant writing help. Postdocs interested in writing a fellowship are invited to submit a description of their specific aims and an outline of their proposal to the faculty mentor. These materials are then reviewed in a small group setting (2-4 postdocs). This way, each postdoc in attendance benefits not only from constructive feedback on his/her own writing, but also from hearing and helping to critique the writing of their peers.
Recommended Lectures to Advance Knowledge in Immunology, Immunotherapy and Tumor Biology:
Wednesday Seminar in Immunology. The Wednesday Seminar is the weekly highlight of immunology at HMS. It is organized by the Program in Immunology and features leading immunologists who describe their latest advances. It is common for our speakers to present a substantial body of unpublished exciting data. It is very important for our cancer immunology trainees to have a firm conceptual understanding of immunological mechanisms. While many of the talks do not specifically focus on cancer immunology, many discoveries are highly relevant for anti-tumor immunity. For example, it was first shown in chronic viral infections that sustained antigen stimulation results in PD-1 overexpression and T cell exhaustion, and that targeting of the PD-1 pathway substantially improves viral control (a memorable seminar by Dr. Rafi Ahmed in 2006).
Dana-Farber Immunology Seminar Series. This seminar series is organized by Dr. Stephanie Dougan and Dr. Philip Kranzusch in the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology and features both local and outside speakers. We also give senior postdoctoral fellows/instructors who have made exciting discoveries the opportunity to present. Presentations have an emphasis on cancer immunology and basic discoveries in immunology. This seminar series is widely attended by our trainees (~50-60 participants) and lunch is provided. It provides our trainees with an opportunity to learn about ongoing work at both institutions and to establish collaborations on exciting new discoveries or technologies.
DF/HCC Oncology Seminar Series. Each Tuesday afternoon, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center hosts a guest speaker in oncology. Speakers are invited from around the country. Students and postdoctoral fellows are afforded the opportunity to meet with the guest speakers at lunch. This seminar series gives trainees the opportunity to learn about exciting discoveries in oncology which is essential for well-rounded training in cancer immunology.
Swerling Lectures. Each year DFCI serves as host to three world-renowned speakers within a defined field of expertise. Following three presentations in the afternoon, there is a reception and dinner for the lecturers. Before and after the lectures, time is set aside for each speaker to meet with DF/HCC students and faculty. The Swerling Lectures for 2014, organized by Training Program mentor Carl Novina, were entitled “The Interplay of Genetics and Microenvironment in Cancer” and speakers were Drs. David Bowtell (Melbourne), Joan Brugge (HMS) and Ernst Lengyel (University of Chicago).
Pipelines in Oncology. A seminar series titled "Pipelines in Oncology" is popular with many of the trainees considering careers in biotechnology or the pharmaceutical industry. This series features oncology program leaders from industry discussing promising projects and products in their oncology portfolio, with a focus on the rationale for choosing to develop new clinical candidates. During the visit, postdoctoral trainees can sign up to meet one on one with these leaders in oncology. In 2015, leaders in Oncology from companies including Novartis, ImmunoGen, AZ/MedImmune, Epizyme and Bristol-Meyers-Squibb have presented in this series.
Other Training and Enrichment Opportunities:
Annual Retreat of the Harvard Program in Immunology. The second year graduate students organize the annual retreat at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, assisted by the Immunology Program Administrator. The students select and invite a keynote speaker and determine a roster of speakers drawn from the pool of graduate students and immunology faculty. All students are required to give a talk during their graduate careers and to present a poster at each retreat. Postdoctoral fellows are also invited to attend and encouraged to present a poster. Attendance at the retreat is approximately 120 individuals, including students, faculty and postdocs. The retreat is an important event that helps cement interactions between junior and more senior students, and greatly contributes to faculty/student interactions. Apart from the focus on academic interactions, we also invite participation from scientists from the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. On occasion industry representatives have given talks or presented a poster on how the career of a scientist can unfold outside of academia.
Cross-Institutional Tumor Immunity Retreat. We are organizing retreat for the cancer immunology community from Harvard and affiliated institutions, MIT and the Broad Institute to take place in November 2015. This initiative is led by two faculty members of this Training Program, Drs. Hacohen and Haining. The retreat provides a forum to discuss exciting new developments in the field and to identify opportunities for collaborative research initiatives. We plan such retreats on an annual basis.