Interdisciplinary Training in Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration

我们的广泛目标是培养一代拥有运动障碍基础、翻译或临床研究项目的研究人员。运动障碍，如帕金森氏症、肌张力障碍和共济失调，会剥夺我们对环境采取行动的能力。每种疾病都会导致不必要的动作，使想要的动作更难执行，还会影响我们思考和处理情绪的方式。为了有效，对运动障碍的研究必须跨学科，并加强基础科学发现的转化，以帮助人类更有效地行动。这个T32项目正面面对这个问题，汇集了一群杰出的导师和博士前学员，以促进跨遗传学和分子生物学、翻译神经科学和生理学以及认知和运动科学的运动障碍的跨学科培训。为了实现这一目标，我们设计了如下培训方案。首先，从具有不同背景的优秀博士前学生中挑选6名学员，并从6个参与研究生项目中的一个项目中录取，提供长达两年的支持。第二，我们创建了供受训者互动的内置机制，包括：a)每月与项目主任和生物统计学家举行T32会议，受训者在会上介绍并讨论他们的研究；b)利用现有的几个大型‘运动障碍’数据库之一，开发一个联合研究项目，作为必修运动障碍课程的一部分；c)T32受训者与密歇根大学运动障碍中心的神经学研究员之间的年度粉笔谈话研讨会。第三，学员的博士委员会包括一名生物统计学家和教师导师，他们至少代表了培训计划的三个主题中的两个。第四，学员参加必需的临床-实验室轮换课程，在那里他们跟踪临床医生，观看星形外科手术，并在其核心专业领域之外的临床和基础科学实验室之间轮换。为了加强严谨性，我们在我们的计划中加入了一名生物统计学家以及具体的培训活动。其他核心要求包括制定个人职业发展计划、专门针对T32的课程、出版物以及在专业和科学会议(包括NINDS研讨会)上的演讲，以及职业发展和联网机会。运动障碍和神经恢复(MDNR)培训计划充分利用Fixel研究所和运动障碍中心以及六个附属卓越中心(帕金森病、抽动症、肌张力障碍、路易体病、PSP、亨廷顿病)的现有临床和研究优势、卓越的动物研究设施、世界级的神经成像和强大的跨学科环境。综上所述，培训计划提供的经验提供了丰富的基础-从研究概念化和设计、口头和书面交流，以及对推进运动障碍病因和治疗研究至关重要的指导。

Our broad goal is to train a generation of investigators with programs of basic, translational or clinical research in movement disorders. Movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and ataxia strip away the ability to act on our environment. Each disease causes unwanted movements, makes desired movements more difficult to perform, and also affects how we think and process our emotions. To be effective, research into movement disorders must cross disciplines, and enhance the translation of basic science discoveries to help humans move more effectively. This T32 program confronts this problem head on by bringing together an outstanding group of mentors and predoctoral trainees to foster interdisciplinary training in movement disorders across the disciplines of genetics and molecular biology, translational neuroscience and physiology, and cognitive and movement science. To achieve this goal, we have designed our training program as follows. First, six trainees are selected from a pool of outstanding predoctoral students with diverse backgrounds and are admitted from one of six participating graduate programs for up to two-years of support. Second, we have created built in mechanisms via which trainees interact including: a) monthly T32 meetings with the program directors and a biostatistician where trainees present and discuss their research; b) development of a joint research project as part of a required Movement Disorders course using one of several available large scale ‘movement disorder” databases; c) annual chalk-talk symposium between the T32 Trainees and Neurology Fellows from the UF Center for Movement Disorders. Third, the trainee's doctoral committee includes a biostatistician and faculty mentors who represent at least 2 of the 3 themes of the training program. Fourth, trainees take a required clinical-lab rotation course where they shadow clinicians, view DBS surgery, and rotate through clinical and basic science laboratories outside their core area of expertise. To enhance rigor, we have incorporated a biostatistician into our program along with specific training activities. Other core requirements include development of an individual career development plan, T32-specific courses, publications and presentations at professional and scientific conferences (including the NINDS workshop), and career development and networking opportunities. The Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration (MDNR) training program capitalizes on existing clinical and research strengths of faculty of the Fixel Institute and the Center for Movement Disorders and six affiliated centers of excellence (Parkinson Disease, Tourette, dystonia, Lewy Body Disease, PSP, Huntington’s Disease), outstanding animal research facilities, world class neuroimaging, and a strong interdisciplinary environment. Taken together, the experiences provided by the training program provide a rich foundation – ranging from research conceptualization and design, oral and written communication, and mentorship that is fundamental to the advancement of research in the etiology and treatment of movement disorders.