MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN CLINICAL INVESTIGATION

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In recent years, it has become obvious that there is a special need for investigators trained in clinical research. The biotechnology revolution has provided many possible avenues to improve 0ult, lives, but these advances require expertise in patient- oriented research for them to benefit mankind. We plan to use the resources we have in San Antonio to provide an innovative training program in clinical research to train young scientists, physicians, dentists, nurses and allied health professionals for successful careers in clinical investigation. We plan to do this through a new Master of Science Degree in Clinical Investigation (MSCI). The 'laboratory' for our trainees will be the General Clinical Research Center, which is an NIH-funded General Clinical Research Center located in one of our teaching hospitals. A special goal will be to increase the number of ethnically diverse students, particularly Mexican-Americans and other Hispanic groups, who will be trained in the conduct of clinical research. Once trained, graduates of this program will be expert in the design and conduct of patient-oriented research studies involving direct interactions between investigators and human subjects. The preceptors for this training program are faculty members with active programs in clinical research, molecular biology, protein chemistry and cell biology, and who have proven expertise in running successful research programs and in obtaining extramural grant support. Since MDs lack the formal didactic training characteristic of many Phi) programs, we have established an organized didactic program designed to prepare our trainees to function as future independent clinical researchers. Candidates enrolling in the MSCI program will complete a mentored research project over two years while participating in a highly integrated set of six didactic courses. The courses include: (a) Research Methodology (3 semesters); (b)Biostatistics (3 semesters); (c) Ethical Conduct of Research (I semester); (d) Integration of Molecular Biology into Clinical Research (l semester); (e) Data management, Quality Control, and Regulatory Issues (l semester); and (f) Scientific Writing (l semester). Our goal is to prepare investigators skilled in the conduct of outstanding clinical research in culturally diverse settings. MSCI program effectiveness will be ascertained by monitoring a cohesive set of five primary outcomes. These outcomes are: (a) the number of ethnically diverse trainees enrolled; (b) the number of enrolled students who attain their degrees; (c) the number of scientific peer-reviewed publications resulting from MSCI research projects; (d) the career paths chosen by the MSCI graduates; and (e) the success rate at which MSCI graduates compete for career development and research awards.