In response to the need to train clinical and translational investigators at the University of Connecticut, including the UConn Health Center and other healthcare institutions in the Greater Hartford area, a Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Research (MCTR) curriculum was developed and implemented under the direction of Anne Kenny, MD, an established, funded clinical investigator. In 2008 the MCTR received accreditation from the Connecticut State Board of Higher Education. The MCTR offers an inter-disciplinary curriculum that integrates faculty and consolidates resources across area campuses, provides educational resources to the educational effort, and promotes collaboration among recognized academic departments. The MCTR was developed in direct response to the need for training a cadre of clinical and translational investigators. This application is designed to expand and improve on work begun at the UConn Health Center with the establishment of the Connecticut Institute of Clinical and Translational Research, which houses the Education Core, the parent entity for the MCTR. The goal of this application is to: provide interdisciplinary research training using the conceptualization, design, and performance of clinical and translational research to educate five-to-seven clinical scientists (CICATS Scholars) per year. These individuals will be prepared to work as scholars, researchers, educators, leaders, and administrators in the field of clinical and translational research;refine and expand the core curriculum in the newly developed and accredited Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Research (MCTR);develop two new courses in the approach and methods used in T1 and T2 research to be used as electives in the MTCR;refine and gain graduate-level accreditation for the newly developed online Introduction to Clinical Research course, a course geared to serve early investigators who require an overview of clinical research;develop and implement a new and innovative curriculum to train mentors in the skills necessary to advise students and further their careers in translational research and to assist with mentoring skill development;implement a rigorous evaluation process to guide and inform change or modification to the education plans.
