Muldisciplinary Oral Science Training Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the UIC Multidisciplinary Oral Sciences Training Program (MOST Program) is to provide outstanding research training to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in five areas relevant to the oral craniofacial complex: microbiology/immunology, oral cancer, wound healing, tissue engineering/ biomaterials, and clinical/translational research. The MOST Program provides a comprehensive and flexible approach to training individuals, with the goal of establishing a pipeline of young scientists and clinician scientists who are expertly trained and will pursue careers in oral health research. The program consists of three components. The first component, short term predoctoral research training for dental students, offers brief training activities that will induce participants to consider careers in oral health research. The second component, long-term predoctoral training, will train DSTP students, and includes study within the COD doctoral program in Oral Sciences or an aligned doctoral program. Highly qualified non-dentists may also obtain a PhD in this component. The third component, postdoctoral training, targets individuals who already hold a PhD, DOS, or DDS-PhD, with the goal of preparing them to be fully capable independent scientists in oral health research. For post-graduates, the program will be individually tailored. Post-graduate dentists who require additional formal research training will complete either a PhD program or the MS in Clinical Research (via a UIC K30 Clinical Research Training Program). To encourage translational research, predoctoral and postdoctoral non-clinician trainees will participate in an innovative Introduction to Clinical Problems Program. All trainees will have access to training in translational research via the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Trainees from all program components will interact through scheduled journal clubs, seminars, and meetings. The program is supported by an interdisciplinary and collaborative group of 27 faculty mentors from the UIC Colleges of Dentistry, Engineering, Pharmacy, and Medicine. Each faculty member maintains an active research program within the five focus areas of research and has appropriate mentoring experience. The enrollment of under-represented minorities is fostered by an established and vibrant recruitment plan. Due to recent growth in our research capacity and infrastructure, UIC is poised to provide research training to support the NIDCR stated goal of "ensuring an adequate and well trained research workforce that reflects the current and emerging needs of science and includes sufficient numbers of investigators from diverse disciplines and from underrepresented groups."