Georgetown University Brain and Language Training Program

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Project Summary/Abstract Training the next generation of neuroscientists studying the brain basis of speech, language, reading, and communication (referred to as “Brain & Language” throughout this application) presents several key challenges. First, conducting rigorous Brain & Language research requires a broad conceptual and technical knowledge base spanning several disciplines. Second, to identify research questions that will make a positive difference in clinical care, Brain & Language researchers need clinical experience to understand how communication disorders are diagnosed and treated. Third, to have a career that has a positive impact on society, Brain & Language researchers must understand the real-world relevance of their research, which requires engaging with the communities served by their research. Fourth, a successful research career requires many professional skills and a strong knowledge of ethical principles, including those specific to Brain & Language research. Finally, because Brain & Language is fundamentally an interdisciplinary field, trainees require a diverse and inclusive community of scholars to foster collaborations and connections that they can carry forward into their careers. We aim to provide these essential elements of training. Georgetown University is ideally suited to train the next generation of leaders in Brain & Language research. Georgetown has an unusually large Brain & Language faculty who study a wide range of topics. These faculty include leading figures in the field over the past few decades, along with rising stars of the present. The faculty have a strong track record of productivity, collaboration, funding, and mentorship. Our trainees are diverse, competitive, and engaged, and have gone on to productive and successful research careers. Georgetown faculty also have relationships with many clinical and community partners in the Washington, DC region, providing a wealth of opportunities for clinical experience, community engagement, and professional development activities. Within this extraordinary environment, we aim to establish a new Brain & Language Training Program (BLTP) to provide a unique training experience for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows pursuing careers in Brain & Language Neuroscience. To address the career needs identified above, the BLTP will provide an integrated training program, including: (1) A Curriculum of Coursework designed to provide a strong cross-disciplinary conceptual and technical knowledge base; (2) Clinical Experience with communication disorders to help trainees understand the clinical impact of their research; (3) Community Engagement to foster understanding about how research impacts the community; (4) Training in the Professional Skills and Ethical Practices necessary for a successful research career; and (5) An interdisciplinary and diverse Community of Scholars focused on Brain & Language research. This T32 will provide four slots for PhD students, and four slots for postdoctoral fellows (two per year in each group for two years each) to participate in this unique and comprehensive training program.