Advancing Child Health: Preparing the Next Generation of Pediatric Researchers.

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of this proposal is to develop leaders in basic, clinical, and translational child health research. These future leaders will serv as the next generation of innovators in pediatrics, dedicated to pioneering advances that ensure children lead healthy and productive lives, free from disease or disability, from birth to adulthood. Toward this end, the research education program outlined herein is designed to sustain, expand and supplement a piloted 10-week undergraduate summer pediatric research internship at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) - the CHOP Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP) - with the ultimate goal of creating uniquely qualified students who are primed to both succeed in and foster the biomedical research workforce pipeline. The program, which provides mentored research training to 25 competitively-chosen student interns annually, will achieve this goal by adding four core enhancements to the summer experience: formalized instruction and hands-on tutelage in mastering research techniques, workshop-based and individualized career exploration training, in-classroom mentorship instruction for both program faculty and students, and a novel "mentorship-in-action" program wherein undergraduate participants form mentoring relationships with students from primarily underrepresented minority-serving high schools. These proposed enhancements, unique to the CHOP summer internship program, will create an exceptional cadre of young scientist-leaders, gifted with an appreciation for pediatrics and child health research, technical proficiency, the importance of career and research mentoring, and the value of diversity.