The goal of this Neuroscience Academic Development Award (NSADA, K12) renewal application is to continue to train pediatric neurologists who have completed their clinical training to be translational neuroscientists who will become leaders in academic Pediatric Neurology and make groundbreaking discoveries that can be used in clinical practice. The combined Hopkins child neurology training programs located at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) and The Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) are well suited to provide integrated clinical and research training. Strengths of this application include excellent clinical training programs in pediatric neurology and neurodevelopment disabilities at JHH and KKI, strong academic resources for basic and clinical research, an exceptional concentration of research infrastructure focused on neurological disorders of children, and a senior faculty with an established record of successfully training young investigators. In this proposal, formal training in research will begin after three years of clinical child neurology training. The faculty for this NSADA program are clinical/basic science researchers who are established, well-funded, and have been chosen because of their enthusiasm and experience as educators. In addition to clinical and/or laboratory based research, trainees will take courses in biostatistics, experimental design, clinical trials management, epidemiology and responsible conduct of research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health or the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. With the guidance of the program Director and Co- Director Trainees can choose from several fields in neuroscience relevant to pediatric neurology including neurogenetics, neurodevelopment disabilities, epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, demyelinating disorders, magnetic resonance neuroimaging, spinal cord injury, regenerative medicine and basic neuroscience. Candidates will be chosen from pediatric neurologists completing their training in either pediatric neurology or neurodevelopment disabilities at JHH or KKI, or from outstanding candidates from other institutions across the United States. It is anticipated that during the 5 year award period, a total of 4 appointments will be made. Our record for recruiting minorities to our clinical training program is excellent. This program will provide the field of pediatric neurology with academic physicians well trained in basic and clinical research.
This project will train clinical pediatric neurologists early in their careers to learn how to conduct research that will discover new therapies for pediatric disorders of the nervous system. Emerging basic science research is uncovering mechanisms for these disorders, but clinicians with research expertise are required to translate these discoveries into effective cures.
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