Pathogenesis, Targeted Therapeutics, and New Vaccines for Childhood Disease

 描述（由申请人提供）：这项新申请的目标是在范德比尔特为具有成为新一代基础和转化医生科学家的能力和热情的早期职业儿科医生建立一个指导培训计划。该计划的首要主题是阐明儿童疾病的分子和细胞发病机制，从而确定新药，生物制剂和疫苗开发的治疗靶点。我们将专注于以下儿童健康领域的职业发展，其中范德比尔特拥有国际公认的发现计划，并在研究指导方面保持卓越的记录，即：1）肺部疾病和发育，包括早产儿肺部疾病; 2）心脏病和发育; 3）肥胖和代谢（包括糖尿病）4）神经系统疾病; 5）癌症生物学和6）儿童传染病。该计划为四名儿科K12学者提供综合儿科部门和医学院培训计划，以获得长达三年的支持，包括密集的科学指导和个性化的职业发展。这些学者将有机会接触到一支成熟的教师队伍，其中包括25名精心挑选的基础和翻译高级研究人员，他们拥有持续的NIH资金，以及指导早期职业学者的广泛而成功的记录。此外，我们精心挑选了10名儿科导师在培训中，大多数与R 01资金，将很好地定位为K12学者在完成本周期的全面指导。儿科系完全融入范德比尔特医学院和医疗中心，在NIH资助中排名前10。所有学术部门，医院，研究实验室和核心设施都位于一个校园内，为早期职业医生科学家提供综合研究环境。该部门目前有6 T32赠款提供K12学者的现有管道。部门领导还将进行全国搜索，以确定一组K12学者，包括代表性不足的少数民族，将在这个高度合作的环境中茁壮成长。每个学者将有一个个性化的培训计划，由计划和培训主任与多学科导师团队合作开发，并将得到广泛的机构和部门资源的支持。每个学者将参加定期点对点小组会议，包括每月两次与其他校园K获奖者的职业发展研讨会，与培训主管的双周午餐会议，与双周K12点对点“工作进展”会议交替，每周部门研究研讨会，定期导师委员会（至少每6个月一次），以及学者和计划的年度正式评估。他们还将与两位外部顾问（前任和现任儿科主席Arnold Strauss博士和乔治多佛博士）进行保密的面对面会议。总之，这些多方面的努力为培养下一代儿科医生科学家提供了最佳环境。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this new application is to establish at Vanderbilt a mentored training program for early career pediatricians possessing both the aptitude and passion to become a new generation of basic and translational physician scientists. The overarching theme for the program is elucidation of the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of childhood diseases, leading to identification of therapeutic targets for the development of new drugs, biologics and vaccines. We will focus on career development in the following areas of child health where Vanderbilt has internationally recognized programs of discovery combined with a record of sustained excellence in research mentorship, namely: 1) Lung Disease and Development, including lung disease of prematurity; 2) Heart Disease and Development; 3) Obesity and Metabolism (including diabetes) 4) Neurological Disorders; 5) Cancer Biology and 6) Infectious Diseases of Childhood. The program offers an integrated pediatric department and medical school training program for four pediatric K12 scholars to receive up to three years of support that includes intense scientific mentorship and personalized career development. The scholars will have access to a cadre of well-established faculty including 25 carefully selected basic and translational senior investigators with sustained NIH funding coupled with an extensive and successful track record of mentoring early career scholars. In addition, we have carefully selected 10 pediatric mentors-in- training, most with R01 funding that will be well positioned for full mentorship of K12 scholars at the completion of this cycle. The Department of Pediatrics is fully integrated into the Vanderbilt School of Medicine and Medical Center, which ranks in the top 10 in NIH funding. All academic departments, hospitals, research laboratories and core facilities reside on a single campus offering an integrated research environment for early career physician scientists. The Department currently has 6 T32 grants providing an existing pipeline of K12 scholars. The departmental leadership will also conduct a national search to identify a group of K12 scholars, including underrepresented minorities that will thrive in this highly collaborative environment. Each scholar will have an individualized training program developed by the program and training directors in collaboration with a multidisciplinary mentorship team and will be supported by a broad array of institutional and departmental resources. Each scholar will participate in regular peer-to-peer group meetings including twice-monthly career development seminars with other campus K-awardees, bi-weekly lunch meetings with the training directors alternating with bi-weekly K12 peer-to-peer `Work-in-Progress' meetings, weekly departmental research seminars, regular mentorship committees (at a minimum every 6 months), and annual formal evaluations of scholars and program. They will also have confidential face-to-face meetings with two outside advisors (former and current Pediatric Chairs, Drs. Arnold Strauss and George Dover). Taken together, these multiple efforts provide an optimal environment for developing the next generation of pediatric physician scientists.