Center for Molecular & Cellular Studies of Ped Disease

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our lack of understanding of the processes underlying pediatric illnesses and their appropriate therapy inflicts a heavy burden on children and their families. Our CHRCDA program will address this issue through training and mentoring young pediatric investigators. The Principal Investigator will be Dr. Michael M. Frank, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, who has had a long successful career in training and mentoring. The day-to-day direction of the program will be provided by the Program Director, Dr. Page A. W. Anderson, Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Delbert R. Wigfall, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Dean and Director of the Duke Institutional Multicultural Resource Center, will be our Minority Recruitment Advisor. The program will have two committees. The Internal Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr. Frank, is made up of members of our department and institution who are experienced investigators and mentors with leadership roles in our Institution. A subcommittee will assess and rank potential trainees. Recruitment of trainees from under-represented minorities will be a focus of our program. Dr. Frank will select the trainees. The Committee will interview the trainees and mentors on a regular basis. They, in concert with Drs. Frank and Anderson, will initiate any needed actions to support the progress of the trainees through the program. The External Advisory Board, made up of internationally recognized scientists and pediatricians from across the United States, will review on an annual basis the accomplishment of the program goals, the progress of the trainees and advise the Principal Investigator. Four trainees will be admitted the first year and four supported each year of the program. The training period will last from two to five years. The trainees' will dedicate over 75% of their time to the training program. The mentors will be selected based on their success in mentoring, the pediatric relevance of their research, leadership roles, and NIH funding. The trainees will be required to take courses in Responsible Conduct of Research, grant and manuscript writing, and core courses that include an Introduction to Statistics, Analysis of Genetic Data, and Molecular Genetics of Human Disease. The trainees will be required to give oral presentations to develop their communication skills. We are committed to recruiting these trainees to our department faculty. Our previous success in training and developing the scientific careers of junior investigators supports the long-term goal of this CHRCDA to develop successful academic pediatric scientists.