Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology Training Grant

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology (ERP) Graduate Training Program is an interdisciplinary endocrine program with a major focus on reproductive biology and physiology, with direct relevance to maternal and child health as well as intrauterine programming and the origins of adult onset disease. This is achieved using multidisciplinary approaches from stem cells and molecular biology to comparative physiology. In 2004 we began our current T32 funding and have since made substantial progress in the further development of our training program, particularly with regard to both professional development and minority recruitment. The outcomes of our first students to graduate have been outstanding both in publications and placement and are detailed fully below. Likewise productivity at the level of publications has been outstanding. We have also made substantial progress in building that which NIH has formally stated is optimal for training, i.e., that the best translational research training experience occurs in an environment that emphasizes the translational component in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team, the members of which are both MDs and PhDs. To that end we have recently been joined by MD fellows undergoing graduate degree study in a newly developed Degree Fellowship Track created within ERP. While MD candidates are not candidates for support under this T32 Predoctoral application, we wish the reviewers to be aware of its existence and that we are now in the process of applying for additional support for these MD postdoctoral trainees in a separate T32 application. We believe all MD and PhD trainees benefit from a collective 'translational dialogue' of the research projects in hand and such a dialogue promotes the development of both practical and theoretical models for translational work in the future. The end result is a stronger, more vibrant training environment with the recruitment of additional faculty, for all to enjoy. This blended training environment is very much needed if we are to maintain a future pool of interdisciplinary translational research team members at a time of otherwise reduced support for research faculty and increasing demands on clinicians to be in the clinics. Finally we have continued to revise and expand our initiatives to recruit students of diversity and to that end we now have been working in close partnership with our new Assistant Director for Diversity Initiatives to create links and more effective strategies to both recruit and support these trainees. This has been an outstanding success and the program is therefore well placed for continuing as a nationally ranked training center for Reproductive Physiology over the next five years. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Problems during pregnancy may cause a baby to fail to fully develop or be born prematurely. Diseases of pregnancy and childhood developed in utero itself are now known to impact on developing adult onset diseases, including the "Big Three" for the US population (Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease). Our goal is to train scientists in the clinical specialties of Ob/Gyn and Pediatrics to address this important aspect of human health and development for both current and future generations.