Training in the Neurobiology of Neurological Disease

描述(由申请人提供)：该提案要求为一个新的博士后培训项目提供资金，该项目名为“神经疾病的神经生物学培训”。简而言之，该计划有5个主要目标：1)促进对与我们受训人员的研究生涯高度相关的疾病和综合征的了解；2)确保受训人员在研究中得到适当的指导，并确保他们获得在神经科学领域独立从事职业所需的专业技能；3)提供创新研究的机会；4)吸引代表性不足的少数群体参加神经科学博士后培训；5)支持“特殊病例”的培训--这些人的需求与典型培训人员的不同。这些特殊情况可能包括现在寻求生物培训的具有计算背景的个人，以及承担需要更长时间和精力才能完成的项目的年轻科学家。我们的建议包括为期两年的疾病神经生物学课程。这门课程积极涉及学术临床医生和他们的患者，以涵盖与基础和翻译神经科学家相关的疾病和综合征的全部范围。我们还为学员提供分两步走的“专业发展系列”，专为神经科学早期和后期博士后研究员的特定需求量身定做。职业发展系列包括从拨款撰写到探索工作机会和建立第一个实验室的一系列主题。实习生将 还应根据需要提供参加额外课程的机会，以填补背景知识的空白。每一次博士后经历的核心都是在一个有成就的实验室里进行指导研究。为了监督这一经历，我们设计了一个指导计划，包括对实习生和导师的定期审查。每个受训人员将有一名主要研究顾问和一个个性化的研究咨询委员会。这一安排将对第一次将受训人员放在实验室的早期调查人员特别有帮助。我们丰富的神经科学环境包括44名初级培训科学家和12个专门针对T32的初级学院。目前，这一核心培训教职员工监督超过 75名博士后实习生(此外还有相当数量的博士后学生)。其中近50名学员有资格获得NRSA和/或T32支持。我们的神经科学界包括匹兹堡大学多个基础科学和临床系的广泛神经科学家，以及我们姊妹机构各系的基础科学家， 卡内基梅隆大学。因此，我们相信，我们的师资队伍的质量和广度，最先进的设施，以及我们培训计划的独特性质，将使我们能够吸引优秀的博士后学员，并为他们提供特殊的体验。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests funding for a new postdoctoral training program entitled, "Training in the Neurobiology of Neurological Disease." Briefly, the program has 5 primary goals: 1) To foster understanding of the diseases and syndromes that are of high relevance to the research careers of our trainees; 2) To ensure that trainees are appropriately mentored in their research and that they acquire the professional skills necessary for independent careers in neuroscience; 3) To afford opportunities for innovative research; 4) To attract under-represented minorities to postdoctoral training in neuroscience, and 5) To support training of "special cases" - individuals whose needs differ from those of the typical training fellow. These special cases may include individuals with computational backgrounds who now seek biological training, as well as young scientists who take on projects that require extended time and effort for completion. Our proposal includes a two-year course on the Neurobiology of Disease. The course actively involves academic clinicians and their patients to cover the full spectrum of diseases and syndromes that are of relevance to basic and translational neuroscientists. We also provide trainees with a two-step "Professional Development Series" that is tailored to the specific needs of early- and late-phase postdoctoral fellows in neuroscience. The professional development series includes topics ranging from grant writing to exploring job opportunities and setting up a first lab. Trainees will also be provided with the opportunity to take additional courses, as needed, to fill in gaps in ther background. At the core of every postdoctoral experience is mentored research in an accomplished laboratory. To oversee this experience we have devised a mentoring program that includes regular review of both the trainee and the mentor. Each trainee will have a primary research adviser as well as an individualized Research Advisory Committee. This arrangement will be especially helpful to Early Stage Investigators who will have trainees in their laboratorie for the first time. Our rich neuroscience environment includes 44 primary training scientists and 12 junior faculties specific to this T32. Currently this core training faculty supervises more than 75 postdoctoral trainees (in addition to a substantial number of pre-doctoral students). Nearly 50 of these trainees are eligible for NRSA and/or T32 support. Our neuroscience community includes a broad range of neuroscientists in multiple basic science and clinical departments at the University of Pittsburgh, as well as basic scientists in departments at our sister institution, Carnegie Mellon University. Thus, we believe that the quality and breadth of our faculty, the state-of-the-art facilities, and the unique nature of our training program will enable us to attrac outstanding postdoctoral trainees and provide them with a special experience.