Outcomes of the NCI cancer prevention fellowship program in training multidisciplinary public health professional leaders

Public health careers are varied, spanning different disciplines, employment sectors, and health concerns. In addition to those on the frontlines implementing public health programs, there is a need to develop researchers who integrate fundamental basic research, epidemiology, clinical, and social and behavioral sciences to create new interventions focused on specific diseases and improving health. Since 1987, the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program (CPFP) has developed multidisciplinary leaders with expertise in cancer prevention who are collectively focused on decreasing cancer incidence and mortality. As part of this dual postdoctoral training in cancer prevention and public health research, CPFP has sponsored fellows without prior public health training to gain a Master of Public Health degree after earning their doctoral degree. In 2024, alumni (n = 189) and highly qualified applicants (n = 52) who did not join the program from 1987 to 2019 completed a survey to assess career outcomes. Survey responses demonstrated that CPFP alumni were employed across all career sectors (39.4% government, 39.5% academia, 10.8% private companies, and 10.3% other) and are retained in the research field (87.8%). Alumni credited the CPFP with being highly influential in their subsequent careers, demonstrating the valuable contribution of this multidisciplinary program in building the public health workforce.