Patient Oriented Research in Pediatric Nutrition

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请为患者导向研究（K24）的职业中期研究者奖，寻求支持一位致力于人类营养学优秀研究的研究者，特别是指导儿科营养学未来的领导者。本申请的目的是使候选人能够巩固和扩大她在以患者为导向的研究方面的努力，并培养她在儿科营养学方面指导临床研究人员和其他学员的能力。该候选人在开展以患者为导向的研究方面有着出色的记录，这些研究得到了联邦和非联邦来源的资助。在她的学术生涯中，迄今为止，她指导了超过25名博士后和博士后学员，目前包括2名医师临床研究员和2名博士后研究员，他们都在进行与儿科营养直接相关的研究项目。该候选人的研究重点是正常但脆弱人群的锌（Zn）内平衡，包括婴儿，儿童和生殖周期中的妇女，以及锌内平衡可能受到干扰的病理条件。一个新兴领域的研究兴趣为候选人和受训者在儿科营养是儿科肥胖的预防和治疗。本应用程序描述了三个资助的面向患者的研究项目：研究肠道内源性锌的分泌及其金属硫蛋白对其电位的调节；一项大型干预试验，研究植酸减少的玉米对危地马拉妇女的孕产妇生殖结果和锌体内平衡的影响，以及对母乳喂养婴儿的生长和微量矿物质状况的影响；以及一项关于重度肥胖青少年锌状态和锌排泄与胰岛素敏感性关系的初步研究。具体的指导目标是：1)通过新开设的课程和培训课程，为博士后和其他儿科营养学学员制定一个结构化的、严格的培训计划，并将其与更广泛的UCHSC学术界的现有资源联系起来；2)积极招募优秀的培训生，特别是儿科营养领域的医生，培养该领域的医生营养专家领导者。该奖项将极大地促进候选人的职业目标，使她放弃一些临床，教育和行政职责，以便更好地专注于儿童营养学的以患者为导向的研究，并提高她指导下一代临床研究人员的能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application for a Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient Oriented Research (K24) seeks support for an investigator who is committed to excellent research in human nutrition, and especially to mentoring future leaders in Pediatric Nutrition. The objective of this application is to enable the candidate to solidify and expand her efforts in patient oriented research, and to foster her ability to mentor clinical investigators and other trainees in Pediatric Nutrition. The candidate has an excellent record of conducting patient oriented research, which has been funded by both federal and non-federal sources, In the course of her academic career to date, she has mentored more than 25 pre- and post-doctoral trainees, currently including 2 physician clinical fellows and 2 post-doctoral fellows, all of whom are conducting research projects directly relevant to Pediatric Nutrition. The candidate's research focus is zinc (Zn) homeostasis in normal but vulnerable populations, including infants, children, and women during the reproductive cycle, and in pathologic conditions in which Zn homeostasis may be perturbed. An emerging area of research interest for the candidate and for trainees in Pediatric Nutrition is pediatric obesity prevention and treatment. Three funded patient oriented research projects are described in this application: investigations to characterize secretion of intestinal endogenous Zn and its potential modulation by metallothionein; a large scale intervention trial examining the effects of phytate-reduced maize on maternal reproductive outcomes and Zn homeostasis in Guatemalan women, and on growth and trace mineral status of their breastfed infants; and a pilot study examining Zn status and Zn excretion in relation to insulin sensitivity in severely obese adolescents. The specific mentoring aims are 1) to develop a structured, rigorous training program for post-doctoral fellows and other trainees in Pediatric Nutrition through newly created courses and training sessions, which will be linked with existing resources in the broader UCHSC academic community; and 2) to aggressively recruit outstanding trainees, especially physicians, to the field of Pediatric Nutrition to develop a larger cohort of physician nutrition specialist leaders in this area. This award will substantially contribute to the candidate's Career goals by enabling her to relinquish some clinical, educational and administrative duties in order to better focus on patient oriented research in Pediatric Nutrition, and by enhancing her ability to mentor the next generation of clinical investigators.