Northwestern University Allergy Immunology Research Program (NUAIR)

描述（由申请人提供）：西北大学过敏-免疫学研究（NUAIR）项目的总体目标是培养从事转化研究的博士后科学家，这里定义为疾病机制的研究，包括对人类受试者或人类样本的调查。NUAIR项目建立在我们的过敏-免疫学奖学金的基础上，该奖学金在临床和学术培训方面有着悠久的卓越历史，并且自2004年以来，教职员工增加了一倍，其中包括8名基础研究人员。我们与其他部门的知名研究人员一起，为NUAIR项目的转化研究创造了一个丰富的环境，在这个环境中，临床和基础研究人员，教师和学员，在每周的研究和教学活动中进行合作和互动。这些合作在设备齐全的实验室和大量的研究核心和设施的支持下，导致了几种过敏性疾病的多学科转化研究项目。根据NUAIR计划，每年将有3名医学博士和/或博士研究生学员开始为期2年的研究培训。每名受训人员将与一名临床研究导师和一名基础研究导师一起研究过敏和免疫疾病的致病机制，包括对人类受试者或其样本的研究。除了结构良好的研究培训和教学活动外，根据里程碑对受训者的表现进行强有力的指导和密切监测将确保在培训期间取得适当的进展。我们的保留计划包括支持经过2年研究培训后留在我们部门的初级教员，同时他们寻求外部资金支持。我们也有激励医科学生和住院医师从事过敏-免疫学职业的项目。总之，我们快速扩展和全面的过敏-免疫学研究环境将为高素质的医学博士和博士后学员提供最先进的研究培训。这些受训者将在过敏症-免疫学领域开展合作转化研究，开创研究事业，帮助缓解国家对该领域学术领袖的严重需求。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall aim of the Northwestern University Allergy-Immunology Research (NUAIR) Program is to train postdoctoral scientists in translational research, here defined as research of disease mechanisms that includes investigations in human subjects or human samples. The NUAIR Program builds on our Allergy- Immunology Fellowship, which has a long history of excellence in clinical and academic training, and on the recent doubling of faculty members including 8 basic researchers since 2004. Together with established investigators from other Divisions and Departments, we have created a rich environment for translational research in the NUAIR program in which clinical and basic researchers, both faculty and trainees, collaborate and interact in weekly research and didactic activities. These collaborations have led to multidisciplinary translational research programs in several allergic diseases supported by well equipped laboratories and a large number of research cores and facilities. Under the NUAIR Program, an eventual steady state of 3 MD and/or PhD postgraduate trainees per year will start 2 years of research training. Each trainee will work together with a clinical research mentor and a basic research mentor to study pathogenic mechanisms of allergic and immunological diseases, including studies of human subjects or their samples. In addition to well structured research training and didactic activities, strong mentoring and close monitoring of trainees' performances based on milestones will ensure proper progress during training. Our retention plan includes support for trainees who remain in our Division as junior faculty members after 2 years of research training, while they seek external funding support. We also have programs to inspire medical students and residents to pursue careers in Allergy-Immunology. Taken together, our rapidly expanding and comprehensive Allergy-Immunology research environment will allow state-of-the-art research training to highly qualified MD and PhD postdoctoral trainees. These trainees will conduct collaborative translational research in Allergy-Immunology, initiating research careers that will help attenuate a severe national need for academic leaders in this field. RELEVANCE: The Northwestern University Allergy-Immunology Research (NUAIR) Program will train physicians and basic researchers on translational research to advance our knowledge of mechanisms of asthma, allergic conditions and immunological diseases. This new knowledge will likely reveal novel targets for future development of new treatments, diagnostic tests and preventive approaches.