MASTERS PROGRAM IN PATIENT-ORIENTED RESEARCH

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This application requests funding for a two-year, didactic Master's Program in Patient-Oriented Research that is being developed jointly by the College of Physicians and Surgeons (P and S) and the School of Public Health (SPH) of Columbia University. The program will be led by Henry Ginsberg, Professor of Medicine, Program Director of the GCRC, and Director of the Irving Center for Clinical Research at Columbia, and Melissa Begg, Associate Professor and Director of the Master's degree track in Clinical Research Methods in Biostatistics. The goal of this proposal is to develop a strong, multidisciplinary didactic training program that will prepare young investigators for independent careers as clinical scientists. The Specific Aims are: (1)To develop a curriculum in Patient-Oriented Research, leading to a Master's degree from the School of Public Health, that will provide a broad foundation for young investigators beginning their careers in clinical investigation. (2) To assemble an Advisory Board of active clinical research scientists that will establish and apply guidelines for the selection and evaluation of young investigators as degree candidates in the Master's program. (3) To initiate and maintain a long-term follow-up program to determine the impact of the Master's program on career development. An Advisory Board has been drawn from senior clinical investigators at P and S, SPH, the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, and the School of Nursing. The curriculum will be centered upon biostatistics and epidemiology, but will include required courses in pharmacology, laboratory methods, the responsible conduct of research and funding opportunities. There will be a continuing series of research colloquia which will include seminars on drug development, FDA requirements and patent issues. All degree candidates will write an NIH-style grant that will be sponsored by a member of the Division of Biostatistics and mentored by senior investigators from departments and schools Campus-wide. The potential applicant pool of postdoctoral fellows, Instructors, and Assistant Professors at Columbia and its major affiliates, the St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital Center and the Harlem Hospital Center, is large and talented, with many NIH-funded training grants and K awards already in place. Women and minorities are very well represented in the applicant pool. The School of Public Health, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Presbyterian Hospital have made an outstanding commitment to the proposed program by pledging to support twelve students each year with full tuition scholarships: this will ensure an outstanding applicant pool each year.