3C #7_Attach2C_Principal

PS-OC Survey: Principal and Senior
Scientific Investigators (Sections B & 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 25
minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching
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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 B. The following section contains questions specific for the Principal and
Senior Investigators of the PS-OCs.
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2. B1. There are a variety of different types of scientists involved in the PS-OC program.  Research
experiences may vary depending on your background and the background of your collaborators.  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

Scientists have you
worked with prior to the
PS-OC program

Scientists you work with
currently

Scientists would like to
work with in future
projects

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

The following questions inquire about the planning, management, and
organization of your PS-OC. 
3. B2. Which one or more of the four NCI PS-OC Themes is most relevant to your PS-OC?
Please check all that apply.

The Physics of Cancer
Evolution and Evolutionary Theory in Cancer
De-convoluting Complexity
Understanding Information Transfer and Decoding
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4. B3. What methods do you use to coordinate activites and facilitate communication across your PSOC?
Please check all that apply and/or add your own variant.

Face - to - Face Meetings
Teleconferences
PS-OC Site Visits
PS-OC Workshops
Email
Webpage
Phone Calls
Other
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5. B4. Please select the choice which most closely represents the frequency of meetings for the
following questions.
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

Yearly

Every 6
months

Every 3
months

Monthly

Weekly

More
than once
per week

Daily

How often do you meet with
your PS-OC's project
leaders?
How often do you meet with
your entire PS-OC?

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6. B5. To what extent is your Center implementing the following activites recommended by NCI?
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

Not currently
implementing

Attempting to
implement

Neutral

Implementing
Fully
some aspects implementing

Offering PS-OC research
training programs
Promoting multi-disciplinary
collaborations within center
Promoting multi-disciplinary
collaborations between PSOCs
Ensuring day to day
management and
communications within the
PS-OC
Emphasizing strategic
planning within the PS-OC,
including setting milestones,
monitoring progress,
seeking advisory or
committee input

7. B6. What challenges have you encountered or do you anticipate for your PS-OC?
Please check all that apply and/or add your own variant.

Communication barriers between disciplines
Delay in formation of teams and collaborations
Limited funds
Lack of physical infrastructure support
Difficulties sharing data and information
Other
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The following questions inquire about the progress of your PS-OC's research,
training, and outreach programs.

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8. B7. Please rate your satisfaction with the progress you have made so far relative to the milestones
you set for your PS-OC, in the following categories.
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

The overall PS-OC
framework
PS-OC Research Projects
PS-OC Outreach and
Dissemination
PS-OC Education and
Training
Legend for rank grid table: 8. B7. Please rate your satisfaction with the progress you have made so far relative to the
milestones you set for your PS-OC, in the following categories.
Columns:
A

- Dissatisfied

B

-

C

-

D

- Neutral

E

-

F

-

G

- Satisfied

9. B8. Please rate the necessity of the following in achieving the research milestones of your PS-OC.
Please mark the corresponding circle - only one per line.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

Development of new
paradigms
Development of new
datasets
Development of new
approaches, models, or
techniques
Formation of transdisciplinary collaborations
between physical scientists
and cancer researchers

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Legend for rank grid table: 9. B8. Please rate the necessity of the following in achieving the research milestones of your
PS-OC.
Columns:
A

- Unimportant

B

-

C

-

D

- Neutral

E

-

F

-

G

- Important

10. B9. What do you believe is a reasonable timeframe to expect PS-OC supported discoveries
suitable for translation?
Please pick one of the answers below.

0-1 year
1-3 years
3-5 years
5-10 years
10+ years

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.
11. 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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12. 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
13. 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+
14. 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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15. 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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16. 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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17. 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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18. 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

19. 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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20. 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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21. 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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22. 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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