Duke Center for Advancement of Child Health (CAtCH)

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The Child Health Research Career Development Award (CHRCDA) Program in the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center, entitled Duke Center for Advancement of Child Health (CAtCH), is intended to foster the maturation of pediatric early-career investigators into independent physician-scientists who are skilled in cutting-edge methods of laboratory and clinical research and who pursue long-term academic careers investigating important issues related to child health. The Duke Department of Pediatrics has a strong history of training physician-scientists, including previous CHRCDA Scholars. The proposed Program is based on a pool of outstanding candidates strengthened by a robust internal pipeline for early-career physician-scientists, innovative approaches to increase representation of groups underrepresented in medicine, a strong didactic curriculum, an excellent departmental program of research support, experienced Preceptors who perform state- of-the-art laboratory and clinical research, an innovative Peer Mentor Program, and an excellent research environment. The Principal Investigators/Program Directors and the Training Director will receive assistance from Research Emphasis Group Leaders, an Internal Advisory Board, and an External Advisory Board in selecting Scholars, reviewing Scholar progress, and ensuring the optimal operation of the Program. Three Scholars will be supported each year, and each Scholar will be supported for two to four years. Scholars will be individuals with an MD degree or joint MD PhD degrees who have completed pediatric subspecialty training and are dedicated to an academic career in basic, translational, or clinical research. Scholars will be selected from junior faculty in the Department of Pediatrics, with particular emphasis on recruitment of women and individuals from groups underrepresented in medicine. The Program Preceptors are drawn from four broadly defined areas of research excellence: 1) ‘Omics’ Discovery, 2) Infection & Inflammation, 3) Technologies Emerging in Child Health and 4) Outcome Science. The Program Preceptors, from the Department of Pediatrics and other departments at Duke University Medical Center, are all characterized by a strong track record in research, funding, and mentoring. Scholars will also benefit from a structured Peer Mentor Program, an extensive grant writing curriculum, didactic courses complementing research experiences, and a community-based mentoring experience. The Scholars will have access to the extensive career development resources and shared research facilities at Duke University, including core facilities of the National Cancer Institute-funded Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the Duke Clinical Research Institute, among others. The Program will undergo thorough internal and external process and outcome evaluations. Duke CAtCH will foster the development of successful, independent physician-scientists, committed to using innovative research methods to advance child health.