UAB-HudsonAlpha Genomic Medicine Training Program

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Project Summary The UAB-HudsonAlpha Genomic Medicine Training Program was established four years ago to train leaders in the integration of genetics and genomics into medical practice. We have recruited fellows with an MD, PhD, or PharmD degree who participate in customized educational training and pursue mentored research at UAB or HudsonAlpha. The educational plan is based on a set of competencies that equip the trainee with the knowledge and skill set to be an independent genomic medicine researcher. Each trainee also completes a genomic medicine practicum that provides exposure to clinics and clinical laboratories, an educational outreach project, an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship career opportunities, and training in the responsible conduct of research and rigor and reproducibility in research. The trainees carry out mentored research under the auspices of one of 60 program faculty, as part of an individualized development plan. Conferences at UAB and HudsonAlpha include research seminars, genome sequencing case review conferences, a molecular tumor board, and a monthly genomic medicine meeting, which provide a foundation and common platform for all trainees. All trainees attend the annual NHGRI training conference and present either posters or platform presentations and present their work at a Work in Progress seminar at UAB. Trainee progress is monitored in biannual written reports and meetings with each trainee and mentor together with the program co-directors. Several innovations have been instituted since the inception of the program four years ago. These include the monthly genomic medicine conference and the entrepreneurship practicum; the latter leverages the strong relationship of HudsonAlpha with biotechnology companies hosted on the HudsonAlpha campus. In order to increase our ability to recruit MDs, we have forged relationships with the UAB Department of Surgery and Department of Medicine, both of which have programs that enable residents to pursue two or more years of research during the course of their training. We have also added an introductory lecture series on the basics of genomic medicine to ensure that all trainees are equipped with basic skills in genomic medicine, including, for example, data management and sharing. The required education in Rigor and Reproducibility in Research is also a new addition. We have strengthened our outreach efforts to enhance the recruitment of minorities to the program. This includes leveraging relationships we have forged with Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Alabama through our R25 DAP program “Summer Undergraduate Experience in Genomic Medicine (SURE-GM)” and with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Finally, we have adapted a program evaluation approach initially developed for SURE-GM to provide formal evaluation of our T32 Genomic Medicine Training Program.