Postdoctoral Training Program in Trauma

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Project Summary The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) seeks a fourth renewal of its successful multidisciplinary postdoctoral Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant (T32) in injury and critical illness. The goal of this training program is to provide multidisciplinary research training for postdoctorates in trauma to develop future independent investigators who will use these skills in academic careers that increase understanding of the mechanisms of traumatic injury and subsequent critical illness and to inform clinical practice. To accomplish these goals, our program recruits and selects postdoctoral candidates who are interested in pursuing an academic career in trauma-related research each calendar year for two-year positions. At the end of the two years of training, each fellow is able to: 1) critically analyze available published data; 2) formulate a focused hypothesis; 3) design and perform necessary experiments to test the hypothesis; 4) analyze and interpret results to draw appropriate conclusions and potentially modify experimental strategies; 5) effectively present the results of their research both orally and in writing; and 6) prepare a competitive research proposal. Over 15 years, 52% (10/17) of fellows who completed their training (T32 and subsequent) are currently in academic positions, and 41% have been awarded independent funding; 208 manuscripts have resulted from the award over the past 10 years. Since its creation in 2001, this T32 training program has evolved, and we propose new elements and faculty to advance and focus our training efforts. In the proposed Program Plan, we expand our focus to the following areas in injury and critical illness: Traumatic Brain Injury; Hemorrhage Control and Resuscitation; Inflammatory Consequences and Organ Dysfunction; Cell Therapy; and Bum with each fellow receiving instruction in responsible conduct of research, reproducibility, epidemiology, biostatistics, and informatics in concert with their career goals and Individual Development Plan. Dr. Charles Cox remains the Program Director of the training program, and he is assisted by a newly added Assistant Director and a Program Manager to form the Steering Committee. The leadership receives guidance from an External Advisory Committee, including a sub-committee to enhance diversity. Each trainee is assigned 1 of 10 Primary Faculty Mentors who bring varied expertise and vast mentoring experience and are responsible for ensuring that fellows receive appropriate training to design effective, ethical, and informative research projects. Resource Faculty members are also available to assist in project execution in areas of expertise different from Primary Mentors. Lastly, expanded evaluation procedures are proposed to improve the training experience for both mentors and trainees. This comprehensive approach ensures that a well-rounded, diverse faculty will assist and guide these young scientists along the path to academic independence and significant future contributions to the care of injured patients.