Entering students become familiar with the research ongoing in the laboratories of BCTP training faculty by performing research rotations in three or more laboratories of their choice.
Most students choose a faculty mentor by the end of the first semester.
This examination is usually completed by the end of the third year of training. This research is initiated once a student joins the laboratory of a BCTP trainer and is generally completed within five years. Following completion of the research, the student defends the written dissertation in an oral examination before the supervisory committee. The objectives of the course of training for postdoctoral fellows are identified based upon the academic backgrounds and career goals of the entering fellows and are formulated through mutual agreement with the faculty mentor. Postdoctoral fellows participate in all of the activities of the BCTP, including the Cancer Biology Short Course, the BCTP Research Forum and other appropriate seminar programs.