Translational Research Training in Hepatology

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Summary/Abstract: This application to establish a postdoctoral T32 training program in Translational Research in Hepatology to be administered at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine in conjunction with the Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), with affiliations at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. This training program leverages substantial university and department level investments in research infrastructure and faculty recruits, a steady rise in the quality of the training-grant-eligible applicant pool and the rich diversity of patient populations in Los Angeles to provide a robust research training experience. This Program is focused on training physician-scientists who are accepted to USC/CHLA Gastroenterology fellowships and will provide up to 3 years of support for intensive laboratory or clinical research training and mentored research for 10 MD (or MD/PhD) trainees over five years. Trainees will conduct laboratory, clinical and/or translational research (T1-T4 spectrum) under the mentorship of 16 highly qualified research mentors who have a solid track record of NIH (NIDDK) funding and exceptional mentoring accomplishments. Research themes of (i) Hepatic Immunology, Injury and Regeneration; (ii) Hepatic Steatosis and Fibrosis; and (iii) Clinical Outcomes and Community/Healthcare Implementation reflect the research strengths and training opportunities within well-established research collaborations at USC/CHLA. An individualized curriculum will focus on building each trainee’s research knowledge base, critical investigative abilities and technical skills, with diligent oversight of the training progress by primary mentors, as well as mentoring and executive committees. The institutional environment at USC/CHLA and affiliates provides abundant resources (research institutes and centers with a wide range of cores), a rich intellectual milieu for training in digestive diseases research including masters’ level training in clinical research methods, and dedicated trainee-mentor activities including an annual fellow-led symposium, biweekly work-in-progress meetings, and monthly journal clubs. Further, this training program occurs in the multi-ethic environment of Los Angeles, providing a unique educational opportunity to study liver diseases in minority populations. The ultimate goal of this T32 Training Program is to prepare GI trainees to assume a faculty-level position and compete successfully for independent research funding across the spectrum of translational liver diseases research to address the significant burden of liver disorders in the U.S. and globally.