(from the application): This is a competing renewal of a training grant currently in its 19th year of funding. The long term objective of this program is to train postdoctoral M.D. and Ph.D. fellows for an independent basic or clinical research career in cell and molecular dermatology. Training of postdoctoral fellows will occur in an extramurally funded research project under the direct supervision of one of the five primary preceptors. Physician trainee candidates will have completed a minimum of two clinical years of dermatological training, while basic scientist candidates must possess the Ph.D. degree with or without postdoctoral training. This training program will provide M.D.s, M.D. Ph.D.s, and Ph.D.s with the education necessary for a laboratory based career in cell and molecular dermatology. The program will also provide M.D.s with the education and experience necessary to establish a career in laboratory related but clinic-based translational research. The specific training aims of this proposal for each laboratory-based fellow are: 1) to design, perform, analyze and publish data; 2) to develop in depth expertise in the use of modern biomedical research methods and equipment; 3) to utilize a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving in experimental medicine. These objectives will be accomplished by having fellows train in basic science disciplines encompassing areas of investigation pertinent to dermatological questions. To maximize multidisciplinary training, primary preceptors for the grant application were selected for their commitment to teach new investigators, for the span of disciplines defining their research, and for their documented ability to work together. For M.D. trainees in clinical translational research, the specific training aims are: 1) to acquire proficiency in patient oriented research design; 2) to learn fundamental biostatistics and apply these principles to clinical research; 3) to prepare an investigational new drug application suitable for submission to the FDA; 4) to learn the principles of clinical research quality control and data management. Five postdoctoral positions are requested each year. Each trainee will commit to two to three years of training. Each fellow is provided guidance in the design and performance of a coherent set of experiments which address specific hypotheses and in the ethical analysis and publication of results. Training will occur by participation in mentor-based focused research projects as well as through conferences/seminars in which basic science and clinical problems are discussed and addressed.
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