Research Education Core

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The objective of the Research Education Core (REC) is to identify highly promising early-stage investigators and provide support to promote their development as independent investigators and leaders in aging research. The REC seeks to provide three groups of investigators, designated as Pepper Scholars, Small REC Awardees, and REC Affiliates, with the knowledge and skills to conduct biological, translational, and clinical studies of multifactorial geriatric conditions and to obtain subsequent funding from a broad range of sources. The outcomes and career advancement goals for the Pepper Scholars include: 1) publication of research results in high-impact journals; 2) success in obtaining independent funding, both to support further career development (e.g. K08 and K23 awards) and specific projects (e.g. R21 and R01 awards); and 3) development of leadership skills necessary to manage research teams and to become successful mentors themselves. This renewal application builds upon the highly successful experiences of the current and prior funding cycles in nurturing faculty from both geriatric medicine and a variety of medical subspecialties, including both physicians and PhD investigators. We will continue to expand upon the advances made in the current cycle to support investigators pursuing basic and translational research programs in addition to those pursuing clinical research programs, encouraging them to embrace the complexities of multifactorial geriatric conditions. The inclusion of three groups of REC investigators will allow us to provide support to an expanded group of junior faculty and fellows, with a level of support appropriate for their stage of training and evidence of commitment to aging research. The Pepper Scholars will receive (1) the most extensive financial support to protect their time for conducting research and (2) priority access to the Resource Cores to conduct their Pepper-supported projects. The Small REC Awardees will receive more modest financial support with the goal of developing strong candidates for subsequent Pepper Scholar funding. All three groups of REC investigators will receive research and career development support in a number of key areas, including: 1) appropriate mentorship in aging/geriatrics, especially for trainees new to aging research and/or in fields outside of geriatric medicine; 2) a didactic curriculum addressing key skills and knowledge necessary for the study of multifactorial geriatric conditions; 3) regular research-in-progress meetings to present their own work and to learn from the experiences of other early-stage investigators; 4) additional research meetings to learn from more experienced investigators; 5) a day-long career development retreat focused on aging-related research; 6) regular updates regarding research meetings, career development activities, and funding opportunities both within and outside of Yale; and 7) mentorship and Resource Core support for the development and writing of larger scale grant applications. In Year 1, we plan to support 3 Pepper Scholars (2 MDs, 1 PhD): a 1st year Assistant Professor in Neurology, a 2nd year Assistant Professor in Endocrinology, and a new Assistant Professor in Pathology.