Training Program in Pediatric Infectious Diseases

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests support for five post-doctoral trainees (four M.D. and one Ph.D.) per year to learn the principles and practices of research in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and International Health. It is our goal to train the next generation of academic infectious diseases researchers who have particular focus on infectious diseases problemsthat are relevant to children in the United States and abroad. This is a new program, but we have already established a track record of training young Pediatric Infectious Diseases physician scientists many of whom have assumed NIH- funded research-oriented faculty positions at Academic Medical Centers. We now propose to establish a NIH-funded training program that places carefully supervised research at the heart of the training experience. The training faculty that has been organized includes 22 investigators, 20 with NIH extramural support grouped into three areas of research focus: Host Defense, Pathogenesis, and International Health/ Parasitology. Clinical responsibilities for M.D. fellows will primarily be in the first year of fellowship, which will be supported by the Department, leaving the second and third years strictly shielded for research endeavors. A fourth year of research will be available for those trainees requiring more laboratory experience, and will be supported by other sources than this grant. All trainees must complete a course in Introduction to Clinical Research including Biostatistics, Fundamental Immunology, and a course in the Ethical Conduct of Research. In addition, trainees will attend weekly Research Seminar and Journal Club. Those fellows interested in pursuing research in International Health will also be required to complete the International Health Course. Trainees will choose a research mentor and have oversight by an Executive Committee, which will semi-annually examine the progress of each trainee and generate written feedback for both mentor and trainee. Trainees will prepare abstracts, presentations and papers, and most will write K award grants in their final year of training. The program will be reviewed by a National Advisory Committee to determine both strengths and weaknesses as the program develops. This research-focused program with internal and external oversight will provide Pediatric Infectious Diseases trainees with the skills required to perform hypothesis driven basic and clinical research and survive in the academic environment via generation of extramural support.