Research Training in Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Diseases

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PROJECT SUMMARY The accelerating pace of discovery in the basic biomedical, clinical and translational sciences now provides unprecedented opportunities to transform patient care in gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Over the past 35 years, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has made major contributions to the training of academic gastroenterologists and hepatologists seeking cures for digestive diseases. This application from BWH requests support for the research training of 4 basic and clinical/translational research fellows, with BWH providing funding for an additional training slot. Outstanding candidates with strong interests and solid foundations in research will be recruited and trained to apply their knowledge and skills towards addressing important unmet clinical needs in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases. Trainees will receive program support for 2 years during which they will follow a structured and rigorous, but individualized training program. This will be a joint effort of 25 eminent and diverse preceptors from BWH, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Institute. These preceptors constitute a network of collaborative researchers, who are international leaders in fields directly relevant to gastroenterology and hepatology. They have been organized into 4 themed, but interconnected research training units: cell biology, immunology and microbiology; metabolism and bioengineering; genes, stem cells and development; and clinical and translational sciences. These training units will provide content-specific educational programming and will increase the efficiency of administration within the training program. Oversight will be provided by a Research Training Executive Committee including the Program Director and 2 Associate Program Directors, who will also serve as preceptors. Additional members will provide guidance on mentoring and on achieving and maintaining diversity within the training program. An outstanding roster of internal and external advisory board members will evaluate the program and provide specific recommendations that improve its quality, diversity, efficiency and value added to the research training of our most promising gastroenterology fellows. This highly personalized training program will include: 1) individual development plans; 2) rigorous research training; 3) hands-on experience in cutting-edge methodologies, and; 4) an integrated curriculum. Trainees will further benefit from the extensive institutional resources and rich intellectual environment of the participating institutions. Based upon the sustained levels of interest in our fellowship program, we anticipate a substantial pool of highly qualified candidates and will maintain a strong focus on diversity. Through its rigorous, structured and highly personalized curriculum, this training program affirms its commitment to training future leaders in digestive disease research who are prepared to translate their findings towards improving patient care.