USC Norris Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) is led by Josh Neman-Ebrahim, PhD, with an exceptional leadership team composed of W. Martin Kast, PhD, Ite Offringa, PhD, and Jennifer Unger, PhD, all members of USC Norris, providing expertise in precollegiate education, graduate education, and evaluation respectively. CRTEC’s mission is to prepare the next generation of basic, translational, clinical, and population scientists, with a focus on convergent minds, inclusion, and diversity. 

This overarching objective is achieved with four specific aims:

1. 1. 1. To train the next generation of researchers in the conduct of convergent science;
      2. To create a pipeline of integrated training and educational programs with an emphasis on underrepresented and socio-economically disadvantaged populations;
      3. To develop innovative education programs for health care professionals and community cancer educators; and
      4. To evaluate the success of these programs based on trainees’ career evolution in the cancer field.

Eighty USC Norris Members currently participate in various CRTEC initiatives and each year these initiatives target 60 elementary school students, 43 graduate students, 10 post-graduate trainees, 18 junior faculty members, and 90 members of our community in the catchment area of USC Norris. Future CRTEC-led initiatives will continue to be created and implemented under the umbrella themes of the program: convergent minds, inclusion, and diversity.