• UC Davis Cancer Center researcher

    Leading-edge scientific research, discovery and innovation

The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is a matrix organization under the aegis of UC Davis Health and the University of California, Davis. Our faculty members are organized into five Programs, supported by eight Shared Resources and a developing Immune Modeling, Analysis and Diagnostics Shared Resource.

It is the mission of the center to inspire and facilitate many of the University’s talented scientists and physicians to tackle cancer challenges. As a Comprehensive Cancer Center, our achievements in scientific research must move quickly into cancer clinics to benefit patients throughout our region and beyond.

Affiliate Membership

If you are not a UC Davis faculty member and you are interested in membership, the Cancer Center offers support for junior research scientists, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, high school, and middle school students through the Affiliate Scholars Program

Our Research Community

The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Faculty members are organized into Programs, and Innovation Groups to transcend departmental affiliations and to be transdisciplinary, translational and transformative. Our purpose is the generation and dissemination of new knowledge. We accomplish much of this work through our Cancer Center members.

Cancer Center membership is open to all UC Davis faculty and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers who have a focused interest in cancer and/or related disciplines and a commitment to contribute to the Cancer Center mission. UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is committed to adding members who reflect the diversity of its catchment area, the state, and the nation. Individuals from underserved and marginalized communities, with disabilities, or who self-identify as members of underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Members must have an academic appointment. Exceptions to this policy are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Full Member

To be eligible for Full membership, ONE of the following requirements must be met:

  • Is principal investigator (PI) or co-principal investigator of a current cancer research or training grant from NCI or an NCI-approved peer-review agency or organization and has current (within the last two years) cancer-related peer-reviewed publications — Organizations with Peer Review Funding Systems
  • Conducts clinical research as a PI and accrues patients every year to cancer clinical trials (interventional or non-interventional)
  • Holds a Cancer Center leadership position(s) and/or a leadership position in a cancer-relevant organization on a national or international level

Associate Member

To be eligible for Associate membership, ONE of the following requirements must be met:

  • Has submitted a competitive extramural cancer-related grant application within the last three years as a PI and authored a peer-reviewed cancer-related publication
  • Is a newly recruited faculty member or an established investigator new to cancer research, who is applying for independent peer-reviewed cancer-related funding
  • Contributes to clinical cancer research as a PI or accrues patients every year to cancer clinical trials (interventional or non-interventional)

Membership will be reviewed and renewed every two years based on membership criteria. Active members in good standing who find themselves in transition without current funding or pending publications will be issued a grace period (of up to two years) to meet membership requirements. After two years, members without funding, publications or cancer-relevant research will have to reapply for membership once eligibility requirements are met.

Members are expected to contribute to the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center through the following:

  • Support the Cancer Center’s mission to generate discoveries to increase understanding of the biology of cancer, to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer for populations in its diverse catchment area and beyond, and to prepare trainees as leaders in cancer care and research.
  • Secure cancer-relevant funding as a principal investigator or develop investigator-initiated trials and accrue patients to the Cancer Center’s clinical trials
  • Publish cancer research articles in peer-reviewed journals and list the Cancer Center as an affiliation on publications
  • Attend Program meetings (min. 50% attendance)
  • Attend and participate in seminars, symposia and meetings sponsored by the Cancer Center
  • Annually (and as needed) provide the Cancer Center with a current NIH biosketch with recent publications and a statement of “Other Support”
  • Provide information as requested for the preparation of the competitive renewal of the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) and the annual non-compete progress reports
  • Demonstrate commitment to collaborate with other members; and promote interdisciplinary, multi-investigator research efforts
  • Participate in research-related activities, including peer review assignments, occasional fundraising activities, planning and evaluation, and Cancer Center committees to enhance research
  • Maintain online biography profile
  • Focus on translational cancer research regardless of perspective (e.g., basic scientist, clinical researcher, etc.)
  • Participate in cancer-related mentoring activities and training programs
  • Acknowledge the use of Cancer Center facilities, Shared Resources, space or assistance from the CCSG
  • Acknowledge each publication, press release, or other document about research supported by the CCSG by including an acknowledgement, such as:

“Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30CA093373. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”

Full Members

  • Eligible for priority access and subsidized rates to the Cancer Center Shared Resources (rate structures will vary by Shared Resource)
    • NOTE: Associate members with plans to perform highly impactful cancer-focused research — particularly junior faculty who have not yet obtained extramural cancer funding — can qualify for a discount rate (equivalent to the rate for Full members) from a CCSG Shared Resource, but only with the express approval of the Shared Resource Director after review of the Associate member's cancer-focused research plan (subject to available funding).
  • Eligible for philanthropic funds directed towards cancer research (subject to availability)

All Members

  • Eligible for CCSG Developmental Awards
  • Assistance with pre-award grant management of cancer-related proposals, including biostatistical support for proposal development
  • Pre-award administrative support for the execution of major, collaborative funding proposals such as P01 and U01 proposals, T32 training grants, or SPORES; these proposals are characterized by substantial, transdisciplinary participation of researchers
  • Eligible to apply for start-up packages, bridge funding, or CCSG-supported leadership positions
  • Ability to collaborate with scientists and clinicians with related scientific interests through innovation groups
  • Access to online Membership Portal, which includes information for the 5 Research Programs, new research initiatives, grant opportunities, Shared Resources and collaboration requests
  • Eligible for intramural funds provided by the Cancer Center

Complete the membership application form and all required attachments. Incomplete applications will be returned for completion before review.

Membership applications will be processed on the first business day of each month.

Online membership application »

Each application will be reviewed by the respective Program leaders and approved by Cancer Center leadership. The Director has final authority on approval, disapproval, and removal of members. Members will be notified via email on the outcome of their application review. The review process will generally take a few months. The start date of newly accepted members who have been UC Davis faculty with prior cancer-related work will retroactively start on the first day of the current CCSG or when they became UC Davis faculty (whichever is most recent).

Membership will be reviewed and renewed every two years based on membership criteria. During the period of preparation for competitive renewal of National Cancer Institute designation, members will have their membership status reviewed for reappointment.

Reappointment review will evaluate activities associated with membership objectives. In particular, collaborative activities with members of the Cancer Center’s scientific Programs, attendance at membership meetings sponsored by Programs or the Cancer Center, participation in UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center research efforts, leadership in significant cancer-related organizations, participation in peer-review study sections, or other demonstrations of interaction with the Cancer Center Programs will be considered. As a consequence of review, members may have their categorical membership changed or dismissed if a strong cancer focus is not evident. If a member relocates to another institution, their membership will end at the time of relocation; however, there will be a one-year grace period where new publications are reviewed for research conducted at UC Davis for CCSG inclusion.