Comprehensive Training in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Comprehensive Training in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences (CTOC) program has been supporting graduate and postdoctoral training in the oral health sciences for ten years. This renewal proposal integrates ongoing successful training programs within the Ohio State University Health Sciences Center, under the auspices of the College of Dentistry, to address the need for the well-trained basic and clinical research faculty in oral health and craniofacial research. Over the last decade, training programs, such as the dual degree DDS/PhD and Clinician Scientist programs, have been developed in the College of Dentistry to train academic clinicians in interdisciplinary research. This effort has been bolstered by the development of a CTSA-supported Center for Clinical and Translation Sciences (CCTS) in the OSU Medical Center and strong support for training in clinical and translational research across all levels of OSU administration. This proposal incorporates multiple programs within the College of Dentistry and Health Sciences Center to create an integrated interdisciplinary training program. Training opportunities include: 1) pre-doctoral training in the Oral Biology Ph.D. program and two interdisciplinary graduate programs in Integrated Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience Studies Graduate Program; 2) dual degree training for the DDS/PhD and MD/PhD degrees; 3) postdoctoral training, including post PhD and Clinician/Scientist programs. The goal of each program is to develop an extensive research experience to attract and retain highly qualified researchers in academic careers in the oral health and craniofacial sciences. A central feature of the CTOC has been the recruitment of strong candidates who will find high levels of success in these programs; the program also provides valuable training opportunities for current faculty in conjunction with the CCTS. Thirty-nine individuals (14 current trainees) and (25 former trainees) have been trained in the CTOC program. Nine former trainees have appointments in academia, 3 are postdoctoral fellows, and 5 have entered residency programs for specialty training. In summary, this training program offers an innovative interdisciplinary science curriculum based on the mechanisms of human disease, and an extensive and flexible curriculum in oral sciences, coupled with the long-term mentorship of experienced interdisciplinary faculty, to produce highly trained scientists and clinician scientists for careers in academic research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The goal of this program is to train the next generation of basic and clinical research faculty in oral health and craniofacial research. This program boasts a uniquely flexible graduate curriculum, and well-established interdisciplinary research programs, in a highly interactive health sciences center, to provide high quality research training and career development.