As basic science provides the means to push back the average life-expectancy of humans, the number of individuals with neurodegenerative disorders such as AD and PD will greatly increase. It is therefore imperative that we provide appropriately trained scientists now for the anticipated needs of the future. Because the continuing changes in the health care delivery system in this country constrain the clinician's time more and more to the clinic, their ability to pose questions relevant for the patient and test them in the laboratory has decreased. As a result, future biomedical research in neurodegenerative disorders will come to depend more and more on the basic scientist. In order to provide these basic scientists with the skills needed to address questions that are not only fundamental to the biology of neurodegenerative processes but appropriately applicable to the clinical setting as well, a new model for training is required. This continuing postdoctoral training program will provide such a model. By design, the trainees of this program will be continually exposed to the clinical arena. The proposed training program is designed to develop highly qualified post-doctoral fellows (Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.) in the research area of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. It is anticipated that the trainees will primarily be Ph.D.'s interested in enhancing their basic and preclinical research skills during a period of intensive research training. Training will involve hands-on basic research training in areas ranging from molecular biology to behavioral assessment of animals models of disease and the assessment of human pathology. This program is unique because fellows are exposed to the special problems unique to the clinician scientist, which should further enable them to focus their research on those areas most germaine to the health-science community. The program is designed: (1) to provide basic and preclinical scientific education with rigorous and specialized research training into the neurobiology of the age-related neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease), (2) to provide fellows with a broad-base of knowledge regarding the age-dependent neurodegenerative disorders, (3) to introduce and instruct fellows as to the major problems these disorders pose to the clinician/clinical researcher, and (4) to develop analytical skills that will aid the trainees in developing into independent scientists in health-related research.
The first aim will be accomplished by an apprenticeship under the tutelage of a senior basic-scientist preceptor. Research skills will be enhanced by elective rotations in other laboratories that have techniques or skills to offer trainees in the furthering of their research goals. Finally the program will provide a broad-base of knowledge on neurodegenerative disorders as well as other instruction important for enhancing the interpersonal and professional skills of our trainees.
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