3H #7_Attach2H_Trainees

PS-OC Survey: Trainees (Sections H &J)
OMB No.: 0925-0642
Expiration Date: 9/30/2014
Notification to Respondent of Estimated Burden
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10
minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching
existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing
and reviewing the collection of information.  An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.  Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: NIH, Project Clearance Branch,
6705 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7974, Bethesda, MD 20892-7974, ATTN: PRA
(0925-0642).  Do not return the completed form to this address.
1. Please identify your primary affiliation with the Physical Sciences - Oncology Centers Program.
Please pick one of the answers below.

Center Principal Investigator (PI)
Center Senior Scientific Investigator (SI)
PS-OC Project/Core Investigators (i.e. project/core leader or research investigator)
PS-OC Trainee
PS-OC Advocate
PS-OC Outreach and Dissemination Unit Lead
PS-OC Education and Training Unit Lead
PS-OC Administrator
PS-OC External Advisor
I am not associated with the PS-OC Program

Section H.  The following section contains questions specific for PS-OC trainees.

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2. H1. How have you participated as a member of the PS-OC? Please select all that apply.
Please check all that apply.

Perform research funded by the PS-OC
Participate in PS-OC Courses
Attend the PS-OC Annual Meeting
Attend the PS-OC Site Visit
Attend PS-OC Workshops
Attend PS-OC Bootcamps
Attend PS-OC Seminars
Other
3. H2. Please select your current research title.
Please pick one of the answers below or add your own.

Undergraduate student
Graduate student
Postdoc
Medical Student
Resident
Other
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4. H3. There are a variety of different types of scientists involved in the PS-OC program.  For each of
the following column headers, please select all types of scientists that apply.
Please fill in the answers in the table below (mark appropriate circles and squares and fill in the blank spaces).

Your field of training and
expertise

Your mentor's field of
training and expertise

The types of scientists
you collaborate with
currently

The types of scientists
you would like to
collaborate with in the
future

Molecular Biologists
Cell Biologists
Engineers
Biologists
Evolutionary Biologists
Surgeons
Oncologists
Pathologists
Radiologists
Cancer Biologists
Chemists
Physicists
Mathematicians
Theorists
Statisticians
Information
Technologists/Comput
er Scientists
Other

5. H4. How do you feel the PS-OC program has influenced the following for you in terms of...
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

Career development
Learning new skills
Gaining a new mentor
Collaborations
Opening access to new
equipment/technology
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Legend for rank grid table: 5. H4. How do you feel the PS-OC program has influenced the following for you in terms of...
Columns:
A

- Poorly

B

-

C

-

D

- Neutral

E

-

F

-

G

- Extremely well

6. H5. How often do you interact with your PS-OC mentor?
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

Never
(One
initial
meeting
only)

Every 6
months

Every 3
months

Monthly

Weekly

Several
times per
week

Daily

7. H6. Did you apply for a young investigator trans-network award?
Please pick one of the answers below.

Yes
No
8. H6b. To the best of your knowledge, please rate how well the young investigator trans-network
process is achieving the following goals:
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

Increasing collaborations
among centers in general
Increasing
discussions/collaborations
between young
investigators
Advancing the convergence
of physical science and
oncology in cancer research
Making advances in cancer
research

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Legend for rank grid table: 8. H6b. To the best of your knowledge, please rate how well the young investigator transnetwork process is achieving the following goals:
Columns:
A

- Poorly

B

-

C

-

D

- Neutral

E

-

F

-

G

- Extremely well

9. H7. Do you plan to conduct research in the field of physical sciences-oncology in the future?
Please pick one of the answers below.

Yes
No
Maybe/Unsure
10. H8. What do you consider to be the most important scientific advances to emerge from your PSOC supported research to date?  Please describe any promising lines of inquiries for future
breakthroughs.
Please write your answer in the space below.

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11. H9. How effective have the following PS-OC opportunities been in encouraging you to generate
innovative scientific ideas?
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

Trans-Network Projects
Young Investigator TransNetwork
Pilot Projects
Outreach Pilot Projects
Student Exchanges
PS-OC Data Jamboree
PS-OC Annual Meeting
PS-OC Workshops,
Bootcamps, and
Symposium
Legend for rank grid table: 11. H9. How effective have the following PS-OC opportunities been in encouraging you to
generate innovative scientific ideas?
Columns:
A

- I do not know

B

- Ineffective

C

-

D

-

E

- Neutral

F

-

G

-

H

- Very Effective

12. H10. Have you participated in a student exchange or otherwise worked in a another PS-OC
Investigator's lab?
Please pick one of the answers below.

Yes
No

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13. H10b. How many exchanges or other PS-OC Investigator's labs have you participated in?
Please pick one of the answers below.

1
2
3
4
5+
14. H10c. Please rate the overall usefulness of the exchanges in which you have participated.
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

Useless

Neutral

Usefull

15. H10d. What was the reason for the exchange?  Please select all that apply.
Please check all that apply and/or add your own variant.

Trans-network project
Learn a new skill
Immersion program
Other
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16. H10e. Do you think this exchange could have occurred without the PS-OC program?
Please pick one of the answers below or add your own.

Yes
No
Unsure
Other
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Section J. The following questions inquire about your collaborations and their
impact, methods for facilitating collaborations, and the impact of the PS-OC
program in your collaborations.

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17. J1. Without naming specific individuals, please give an example of a successful trans-disciplinary
collaboration (i.e. a collaboration that integrated two or more individual disciplinary perspectives) in
which you have been involved as part of the PS-OC program. Please provide a brief description of
the project and how it was initiated.  Please define each member's role in the collaboration.
Please write your answer in the space below.

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18. J1b. What are the outcomes of the collaboration described above? Please select all that apply.
Please check all that apply.

New knowledge or skills
Pilot project funds
Outreach project funds
Trans-network project funds
NIH or NSF grant funds
Publications
Conference presentations or invited talks
The collaboration is still in progress.
Will form new collaborations
Will pursue new aspects of the project as an extention of this work
19. J1c. How many researchers were involved in this trans-disciplinary collaboration?
Please pick one of the answers below.

2
3
4
5-7
8-10
10+

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20. J1d. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements
pertaining to the collaboration described above. "I would have obtained these outcomes..."
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

without one member of the
team
without two members of the
team
without a trans-disciplinary
collaboration
without the support of the
PS-OC program

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21. J2. What difficulties , if any, have you experienced during your trans-disciplinary collaborations in
the PS-OC program? Please rate the severity of these difficulties on a scale of 1-5. A "1" indicates
that the issue did not impact the outcome(s) of the collaboration. A "5" indicates that the issue
severely impacted the collaboration.
Please fill in the answers in the table below (mark appropriate circles and squares and fill in the blank spaces).

Check all that apply

Please rate the severity of the issue

Members prioritized
their personal goals
before the overall team
goal

1
2
3
4
5

Difficulties in sharing
data

1
2
3
4
5

The team members
discuss issues only at
a broad level

1
2
3
4
5

Difficulties in sharing
supplies, cells, tissue,
or equipment

1
2
3
4
5

Responsibilities, roles,
and expectations were
not clear

1
2
3
4
5

Difficulties in
organizing travel

1
2
3
4
5

Team members
became competitive
with one another

1
2
3
4
5

Difficulties in
communication across
scientific disciplines

1
2
3
4
5

Lack of funds

1
2
3
4
5

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Power struggles

1
2
3
4
5

Sharing credit

1
2
3
4
5

The team did not meet
regularly

1
2
3
4
5

The team did not
establish trust

1
2
3
4
5

There is no reward
structure at my
institution for
collaborations

1
2
3
4
5

Trouble identifying
additional team
members to help

1
2
3
4
5

Lack of clear vision or
goals

1
2
3
4
5

No agreement on the
primary spokesperson

1
2
3
4
5

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22. J3. Please define your role(s) in your PS-OC collaborations. Please select all that apply.
Please check all that apply and/or add your own variant.

Provide cells or reagents
Provide technology or skill
Provide strategic direction
Leader
Combine data
Organize team meetings and communication
Perform data analysis
Participant
Advisor
Provide training/education
Create reports
Communicate to stakeholders (i.e. NCI)
Interface with Instituional leadership
Administrative support or IT
Other
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23. J4. Please answer the following questions with the approximate number of investigators (i.e.
faculty level researchers).
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

0

1-4

5 - 10

11 -15

16+

How many PS-OC
investigators within your
Center did you work with
prior to the start of the PSOC program?
How many PS-OC
investigators within your
Center do you work with
now?
How many of these new
collaborations would have
started without PS-OC
program funding?

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24. J5. Overall, please evaluate your PS-OC supported collaborations in the following areas.
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

Very Poor

Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

Scientific impact
Productivity
Rewarding to all parties
involved equally
Communication among
collaborators
Ability to utilize the
strengths of different
researchers involved
Enabling you to reach your
own research milestones
faster
Ability to attract new
collaborators to join effort

25. J6. How effective have the following PS-OC opportunities been in encouraging you to find and/or
generate collaborations?
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

Not
Applicable

Ineffective

Somewhat
Effective

Very
Effective

PS-OC Trans-Network
Projects
PS-OC Young Investigator
Trans-Network Projects
PS-OC Pilot Projects
PS-OC Outreach Pilot
Projects
Student Exchanges
PS-OC Annual Meeting
PS-OC Workshops and
Symposiums
PS-OC Data Jamboree

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26. J7. From your standpoint, please evaluate the extent to which the PS-OC program has been
successful in the following areas.
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

I do not
know

Very Poor

Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

Improving leadership skills
in heading a transdisciplinary study
Mentoring junior faculty in
leading and participating in
a trans-disciplinary study
Increasing the discussion
about team science and
collaborations at your
institution
Developing better policies to
review and reward team
science at your institution

The following question inquires about your views on the progress the PS-OC
program is making relative to the goals of the program.

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27. From your standpoint, please evaluate the extent to which the PS-OC program has been
successful in reaching the following program goals.
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

I do not
know

Very Poor

Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

Form trans-disciplinary
teams focused on
establishing physical
sciences-centric themes in
cancer research
Build a collaborative transdiscipline research sharing
network
Promote collaboration by
PS-OC researchers across
the PS-OC network
Educate trans-disciplinary
scientists that pursue
careers in the field of
physical sciences in
oncology
Promote collaboration by
PS-OC researchers beyond
the PS-OC network
Form new physical sciences
in oncology programs at
universities or institutions
Test dogma-challenging
hypothesis on cancer
initiation and progression
Bring new types of
scientists to cancer
research
Generate new datasets in
cancer research
Generate new knowledge in
cancer research

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28. Please provide any additional comments that you would like to share about the convergence of
physical sciences in oncology or the PS-OC program.
Please write your answer in the space below.

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