Interdisciplinary Biomedical Imaging Training Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Interdisciplinary Biomedical Imaging Training Program will prepare predoctoral trainees to become leaders in organism-level, biomedical imaging research. Multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, physicists, biologists, and clinicians are required to advance biomedical imaging, especially with the advent of in vivo cellular and molecular imaging. We will create the next generation of interdisciplinary biomedical imaging scientists and engineers who will contribute to and lead such teams. Our training program will build upon recent research infrastructure awards and institutional investments totaling - $37M in biomedical imaging. In addition to the creation of state-of-the-art imaging facilities, the number of imaging faculty members has increased from 3 in 1999 to 20. A training grant award will place students squarely in the center of on-going interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary research programs. Trainees will use new imaging facilities in the Case Small Animal Imaging Research Center, which includes 4 MRIs, micro-SPECT/CT, micro-PET, 3 bioluminescence, in vivo fluorescence, etc. Predoctoral trainees will be from the highly-rated departments of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, both of which have a long history of training in biomedical imaging. Trainees will conduct research projects combining enabling technologies in imaging with biomedical research. Each trainee will have a primary mentor who specializes in enabling technologies, or applications, and one or more co-mentors who specialize in biomedical research. A steering committee, realistic rules, and a student portfolio will ensure suitable research experiences. A comprehensive educational program will include a portfolio of imaging courses, including Cellular and Molecular Imaging and Interdisciplinary Imaging Discovery Group, a new course specially designed for interdisciplinary education. We will promote a culture of interdisciplinary research in a series of diverse activities during a designated Imaging Hour. Despite our successes with fund-raising, a predoctoral imaging training grant is sorely needed because none exists and because first-year support of graduate students has recently been eliminated at our university due to financial constraints. A training grant will help make graduate students cost effective as compared to post docs and ensure training of domestic PhD's in this area of critical need. Relevance to Public Health. Biomedical imaging enables early detection, assessment of therapy, and minimally-invasive treatment of disease. Especially with the advent of cellular and molecular imaging, biomedical imaging research requires persons with strong interdisciplinary training.