Research Training in Pulmonary Immunology and Allergy at MGH

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Research Training in Pulmonary Immunology and Allergy at MGH is a new T32 application, directed by Drs. Andrew Luster and David Christiani, that brings together the research programs of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases (CIID), Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit (PCCU), and the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit (ACIU).For many years the PCCU and the ACIU have had separate successful T32 training programs, but with the formation of the CIID there is now a joint research effort on pulmonary immunology and allergy with faculty in both the PCCU and ACIU. Thus, it was reasoned that merging into a single training program that concentrated on lung immunology and allergic inflammation will improve training by providing a more comprehensive training program for physician- scientists in the PCCU and ACIU fellowship programs. The Training Program is designed to prepare the next generation of physician-scientists who, through mentored research and rigorous training in new technologies, are prepared to be leaders in pulmonary immunology and allergy related biomedical research. We will emphasize training in8scientific disciplines: cell trafficking, imaging, lung inflammation, innate immunity, mucosal immunity, allergy, systems biology, and epidemiology. The Program will have both basic and translational components. Specifically we seek to provide: 1) opportunities for mentored research in disciplines that have the potential for high-impact discoveries; 2) outstanding research training through didactics, seminars, and comprehensive mentoring; and 3) an environment and infrastructure that fosters scholarly activity and career development into independent physician- scientists. This application requests 4 training positions in year one and 8 in years two through five that will be allocated to trainees who are committed to a full 2 to 3 years of research training. The candidates will be drawn from the Harvard-combined fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, which is based at MGH, and the Allergy and Immunology Fellowship at MGH. Trainees are accepted into the Program based on a consensus reached by the Program's Executive Committee, which includes the Program Directors, Drs. Luster and Christiani, and the Program's Co-Directors, Drs. Medoff and Shreffler. Twenty mentors are affiliated with this Training Program and were carefully chosen based on their track record of publication, grants, mentoring, collaboration and a mutual interest in lung immunology and allergy and the training of new investigators therein. The MGH provides an outstanding training environment with over 1400 investigators, numerous T32 training grants, thematic research centers, trainee support groups, and over $700 million in NIH research grant awards. Furthermore, opportunities at Harvard University, including course work and the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (a member of the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award Consortium) provide additional valuable resources for trainees.