NRSA Hepatology Training Grant

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Project Summary/Abstract The Postdoctoral Training Program in Hepatology is an integral part of the comprehensive hepatology research program at UCSF. The purpose of the Program is to provide trainees a solid background in liver biology and disease as well as the investigational skills to address new questions and contribute to new knowledge in hepatology. The Program is staffed by 12 faculty based within the Departments of Medicine and Surgery; collectively these individuals offer balanced expertise in basic and clinical hepatology and have a strong track record of working collaboratively with each other. A subgroup of 6 Program faculty comprise a Steering Committee charged with screening applicants, reviewing the training curriculum and monitoring the progress of active trainees. The top priority of the Program is to train physician-scientists who are admitted to UCSF as Gastroenterology fellows. MD applicants to the Program must have a prior record of research accomplishment and dedication to an independent investigative career in hepatology. PhD applicants are admitted largely from mentor laboratories; they must display similar academic promise and an orientation toward translational liver research. All trainees are placed through a core curriculum covering liver biology, liver-related research methods and general academic skills. They then undergo specialized research instruction under an individual mentor, with choices ranging from clinical epidemiology, health outcomes and genetics to cell biology, immunology, metabolism and fibrosis/carcinogenesis. Additional focused coursework is highly recommended for all trainees; for those pursuing clinical investigation, enrollment in a Master's Degree program is mandatory. Importantly, the Training Program benefits from numerous institutional resources including outstanding graduate programs in basic and clinical sciences as well as research support units such as the Liver Center and the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. Program faculty are strong figures in each of these units, and accordingly can guide trainees to utilize these resources to maximize the value of their postdoctoral experience. The ultimate goal of the Training Program is to provide sufficient group and individual mentorship to enable graduates to assume a faculty-level position and compete successfully for independent research funding in hepatology.