Although some recognition of the unique aspects of the biology of the developing child clearly began in the 1800's, pediatrics did not evolve as an independent intellectual and clinical discipline until the 1900's. Only relatively recently have emerging molecular principles been systematically applied to the understanding and treatment of diseases of childhood. However, increasing emphasis on revenue generation, decreasing availability of institutional start-up funds for new investigators, and the individual's imperative for repayment of medical school debt have made it increasingly difficult to attract, foster, and maintain a cadre of individuals whose interests are in the development of a translational body of molecular and developmental pediatric knowledge. It is absolutely vital that we establish and nurture venues in which to train researchers at the interfaces between molecular and developmental biology and pediatrics. The present application proposes to take advantage of the high quality, interactive, and interdisciplinary faculty and environment of the University of Rochester to give clinically trained junior faculty the opportunity to engage in and understand basic, and translational research, develop in these fellows the thinking skills and knowledge base that will allow their application of basic molecular principles towards enhancing and developing our understanding of the developmental origins and mechanisms of childhood disease.
The proposed program will train clinically oriented junior faculty to prepare them for and launch them in careers in molecular pediatrics research. This research will be aimed at understanding and treating diseases of childhood.
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