Overview
As artificial intelligence and other computational methods show promise for cancer research, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) wanted to equip the next generation of researchers with data science skills. To do this, ESI digital strategists helped NCI conceptualize, test, and launch a cancer data science 101 resource section introducing trainees to the basics and the context needed to apply data science techniques to cancer research.
The Challenge
NCI “strives to attract, train, and retain the best minds to become the next generation of cancer researchers.” However, the next generation of cancer researchers are facing more technological challenges than ever before. With the fast-paced evolution of artificial intelligence, cancer researchers can leverage computational methods and tools to better understand, detect, and predict the cancer’s underlying biology.
Now, cancer research trainees are grappling with having to learn and grow proficiency in two highly technical and niche disciplines. While NCI offers training resources that cover informatics and data science, early career researchers reported that a piece was missing. There was no single place where they could find the basics of applying data science techniques in the cancer research lifecycle. Without it, they didn’t know where to start, what skills they minimally needed, and when they would need to use those skills in the research process. They needed a starting point before they could leverage the full portfolio of training opportunities available to them.
The Solution
While supporting NCI’s Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology, ESI digital strategists recommended establishing a cancer data science training section on their Data Science Hub site.
We suspected that early career researchers were already looking for training resources on the site based on surveys, onsite searches, and how well sporadic training content outperformed other topics. Furthermore, the hub would increase the visibility of training resources as it consistently ranked in the top 10% of most-visited NCI websites. Still, NCI’s data science training efforts spanned the institute; it wouldn’t be enough to follow our usual enhancement process and develop this section in a silo. NCI needed an approach that would meet early career needs and align with the hub’s aim to represent all NCI data science efforts.
Our approach focused on three strategies:
- Trainees drive the function: User research was particularly important in this project. To fill the gap, we needed early career researchers to share their experiences in trying to learn data science with both NCI and non-NCI resources. We incorporated cancer research trainees at every step of the development process. From content strategy planning to design, early career researchers guided the minimum requirements for the section. This allowed us to identify which topics NCI’s Data Science Hub should cover and what format the content should take to be most helpful to an early career audience.
- NCI training programs connect the journey: After understanding how the hub could serve as the entry to NCI data science training resources, we brought together the programs and individuals leading training efforts for NCI. Together, we mapped a user journey that would help an early career researcher find skill development resources regardless of where they were in their journey.
- NCI experts guide the content: We identified a variety of experts across NCI, representing the different fields that support data science to help us ensure our context accurately and clearly conveyed how data science is applied to cancer research. Each of these experts was also known for mentoring and training early career researchers. As a result, we were able to fulfill another early career researcher need: connecting them with a community of professionals they could network with and potentially work with in the future.
The training section launched in October 2023, offering training resources for researchers of all experience levels. However, we developed several tools specifically to help those new to data science:
- Interactive Data Science Life Cycle: This interactive section walked visitors through the six steps they will take when applying data science methods to their research. Each step includes guides that give an overview of what they will specifically do (or work with a data scientist to do), tools and resources they may use, plainly written explanations of the technical concepts, tips from NCI experts, and links to classes to develop skills in that area.
- Cancer Data Science 101 Course: This free, online, and self-paced course gives an overview of basic data science skills such as programming, biostatistics, big data technologies, and predictive modeling. Each course includes a video overview, quizzes, and links to other on-demand and scheduled training opportunities.
The Results
In its first three months, the data science training section surpassed its launch goal, reaching almost 7,000 early career researchers. Since then, the pages in the training section continued to receive regular traffic accounting for nearly 10% of the site’s traffic. Those who visit the page are highly engaged. The training section represents the majority of the site’s clicks to the page “like” button.
The training section continues to be linked and referred to for basic data science resources. In Spring 2025, Memorial Sloan Kettering’s blog spotlighted the section, describing it as having “wonderful training resources to help clinical oncologists and cancer researchers build their basic cancer data science skills.”
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Learn more about ESI’s support for NCI’s Data Science Hub
In this use case, we share what digital strategies we implemented to help the hub rank in the top 10% of most visited NCI’s sites.
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