Brain Injury Training Grant

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The continuing aim of the Brain Injury Training Grant (BITG) is to provide an excellent mentoring environment for highly motivated clinician and basic scientists to prepare them for careers in nervous system injury research. Our trainees acquire basic science research skills that address the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of injury to the nervous system, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), cerebral ischemia (stroke) and spinal cord injury. Since its inception in 2003, the success of this program has continued to expand, with 11 trainees obtaining faculty positions (5 neurosurgeon clinician scientists and 6 Ph.D. scientists), 1 trainee has joined the NIH administration and 2 trainees have gone on to positions in the biomedical research industry. For this competing renewal of the BITG, we request continued funding for 4 postdoctoral fellowship slots (simultaneous) for individuals with a strong interest in studying injury to the nervous system. These positions will typically be filled by two neurosurgical residents during their strictly protected research trainin and two Ph.D. scientists. The BITG program administration will continue to be democratically governed by group vote of faculty mentors. Day-to-day management will be entrusted to an Executive Committee. For training, the research project will typically be based in an individual laboratory. Trainees will actively participate in selecting the mentor and laboratory. To become integrated with the greater BITG community, trainees will be encouraged to engage in multiple opportunities, such as seminars, courses, and scientific retreats. We also propose to greatly enhance our efforts on diversity recruitment. We have a newly designated Diversity Recruitment Liaison on our Executive Committee and we have developed strategies to increase awareness and engagement with diversity opportunities. Considering the growing understanding of the impact of nervous system injury on society, the BITG plays an important role in training future leaders in this area. In particular, the BITG provides a novel infrastructure involving a highly collaborative faculty and excellent facilities to train future clinical and basic research scientiss in nervous system injury.