Targeted Research and Academic Training of Nurses in Genomics

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): With the completion of the Human Genome Project, genetic testing for disease susceptibility, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis has the potential to become part of mainstream medical care and, consequently, impact patient outcomes of interest to nursing. These advancements were made, and continue to be made, because of innovations in genomics research. However, the translation of findings from the laboratory to the community has lagged far behind the generation of new scientific knowledge. As a result, there has been an increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary research initiatives, such as those the initiatives that comprise the NIH Roadmap. Nurses are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between genomics research and clinical practice. Nurses are the largest and most trusted group of professional health care providers. They interact with patients at all stages of life, and in all clinical arenas. Their work is interdisciplinary by nature. More nurses are now received training in genomics because of its recent introduction in nursing curricula. In addition, the 2003 Institute of Medicine's report "New Horizons in Health" emphasized research priorities, one of which was genomics, that will be required to achieve major improvements in health. The importance of genomics in nursing has been echoed at the National Institute of Nursing Research. Nevertheless, there continue to be few opportunities for long-term laboratory-based training in the conduct of cutting-edge genomics research. Such training opportunities are essential, and must become available because nearly every condition studied by nursing scientists, including those on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing, has a genetic component. These represent acute (e.g., infectious disease), as well as chronic disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and mental illness to name a few. Our objective is to train talented nursing scientists, at the beginning stages of their careers, to develop research trajectories related to the application and evaluation of genomics in improving patient outcomes. The goal of the proposed training program is to prepare pre- and postdoctoral nursing scientists to incorporate genomics into their research trajectories using didactic courses, clinical rotations, journal clubs, seminars, individualized practice and laboratory experiences, and presentations at scientific meetings. Specific aims focus on training in: 1) the integration of genomics into theoretical / conceptual frameworks, 2) genomics research methodology (e.g., family studies, genome-wide association studies), 3) genomics laboratory techniques, and 4) clinical application of genomics. Reasons why the School of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh is an ideal environment for the development of such a training program are elaborated in the application.