Patient Oriented Research in Pediatric Nutrition

描述(由申请者提供)：这份以患者为中心的研究(K24)职业生涯中期研究人员奖的申请旨在为致力于人类营养方面的卓越研究的研究人员提供支持，特别是指导未来的儿科营养领导者。此应用程序的目的是使应聘者能够巩固和扩大她在以患者为导向的研究方面的努力，并培养她指导临床研究人员和其他儿科营养学实习生的能力。这位候选人在进行由联邦和非联邦来源资助的以患者为导向的研究方面有着出色的记录。在她的学术生涯中，迄今为止，她指导了超过25名博士后和博士后实习生，目前包括2名内科临床研究员和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。候选人的研究重点是正常但脆弱的人群中锌的动态平衡，包括婴儿、儿童和生殖周期中的妇女，以及锌动态平衡可能被扰乱的病理条件。儿科营养学候选人和实习生感兴趣的一个新兴研究领域是儿科肥胖的预防和治疗。在这项申请中描述了三个由患者资助的研究项目：研究肠道内源性锌的分泌及其金属硫蛋白对其潜在调节的调查；大规模干预试验，考察植酸减少的玉米对危地马拉妇女的母亲生殖结局和锌稳态的影响，以及对其母乳喂养婴儿的生长和微量矿物质状况的影响；以及一项初步研究，探讨严重肥胖青少年的锌状况和锌排泄与胰岛素敏感性的关系。具体的指导目标是1)通过新设立的课程和培训课程，与更广泛的UCHSC学术界的现有资源相联系，为儿科营养领域的博士后研究员和其他受训人员制定一个有组织的、严格的培训计划；以及2)积极招募优秀的受训人员，特别是医生到儿科营养领域，以培养更多该领域的医生营养专家领袖。这一奖项将大大有助于候选人的职业目标，使她能够放弃一些临床、教育和行政职责，以便更好地专注于以患者为中心的儿科营养研究，并增强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.