Deep South KUH Premier Research and Inter-disciplinary Mentored Education (PRIME)

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PROJECT SUMMARY A vibrant learning environment is essential for training investigators who will generate new advances in biomedical science within the mission of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Over the past several decades, our T32 and other training programs have been successful in developing scientists who have made seminal contributions to kidney, urology and non-malignant hematology (KUH) research. However, traditional pre- and post-doc training programs are not ideally suited for training the scientific workforce of the future which prioritizes interdisciplinary, team-based approaches to solve complex problems and transform novel discoveries into meaningful scientific and clinical breakthroughs. Nowhere is the need for developing this workforce more pressing than the Deep South of the United States, a region of the country that bears a disproportionate burden of KUH diseases as well as disparities in health outcomes related to these conditions. Accordingly, the mission of the Deep South KUH Premier Research and Inter- disciplinary Mentored Education (PRIME) program is to develop a modern workforce of investigators in the Deep South who have the training, skills and drive necessary to advance KUH health through science and medicine. We will do so by bringing together the distinguished KUH research programs and complementary training assets at Augusta University, Tulane University, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to foster KUH training activities across our entire region. The Deep South KUH PRIME will leverage our established research partnerships including the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CTSA hub) Partner Network and long-standing KUH research collaborations within and between our institutions. Through our Administrative, Professional Development, Network, and TL1 Cores, we will accomplish our overall vision to create and nurture a multi-institutional community of trainees that is diverse, interdisciplinary, inter- connected, and well-equipped with skills to transform and advance scientific discovery. Specifically we will (1) Combine K, U, and H training activities in our institutions into a unified KUH training ecosystem; (2) identify, recruit and cultivate a diverse cohort of pre- and post-doctoral trainees committed to KUH research; (3) expand and develop innovative new opportunities for professional development; (4) create a vibrant trainee networking hub with peer-to-peer and near-peer mentoring; and (5) participate in the nationwide U2C/TL1 training network, including hosting regional and national meetings, establishing pipelines across institutions, and engaging regional partners to expand training efforts. The Deep South KUH PRIME will provide an unparalleled opportunity to build a new program that integrates the unique research strengths and training capacities offered by each of our institutions to immerse trainees of diverse backgrounds in an inter-connected network of team training, skill development, and community building, with cross-cutting themes that integrate shared interests and drives scientific advances in KUH research in the Deep South and across the country. .