Kidney disease is a major health problem for both adults and children. Renal diseases of various etiologies continue to grow at a rate of epidemic proportions. Furthermore there is a diminishing pipeline of nephrology trainees leading to a lack of new discoveries, cures and clinical trials in the kidney research arena. It is imperative that we meet this challenge and ensure the training of a new cadre of outstanding investigators in kidney-related research. The goals of the program are to identify promising candidates and train them for careers in academic nephrology. We have assembled an exemplary team of clinician and basic science investigators with an outstanding track record of mentorship from various Departments and Centers including: Medicine, Pediatrics, the Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering, the Cardiovascular Research Center, Surgery, the Beirne Carter Center of Immunology and Public Health Sciences. The basic/translational faculty laboratories offer research experience that links kidney development, cell fate, and disease with inflammation. The program provides training and didactic instruction in fundamental and cutting-edge methodologies, including novel molecular, cellular, transgenic and imaging technologies, as well as immunology, functional genomics and novel imaging technologies. The patient- oriented clinical research program provides training in clinical investigation, epidemiology, biostatistics and human genetics. Three new mentors in genetic susceptibility to kidney disease and disease progression have been recruited. Adult and Pediatric Nephrology trainees with M.D. degrees will pursue a program consisting of 1 year of clinical training, which is not supported by the grant, and 2-3 years of research training funded by this application. PhD applicants will be required to have prior research experience and outstanding references. Each of the 33 mentors/co-mentors has a track record of mentorship and is an expert in one or more core areas that pertain to kidney development and disease and inflammation including: kidney development and disease pathogenesis, diabetes/vascular disease, cell signaling, leukocyte biology and patient-oriented research/genetic epidemiology. All trainees will be required to attend regular seminars, journal clubs and specific courses addressing research methodologies, experimental design, research integrity, ethics and faculty development, in addition to. Newly designed translational programs are aimed to link clinical disease with basic science. They will be expected to design, conduct, and analyze experiments with progressive independence in our new, modern, and well-equipped laboratories. We value and encourage applicants from diverse academic and ethnic backgrounds. It is the goal of the mentored training program that its graduates attain a strong foundation in translational biomedical research and be among a new generation of academic nephrologists and renal investigators who will make significant contributions in addressing the growing problem of kidney disease in the adult and pediatric populations.
Kidney disease in the adult and pediatric populations is a major economic and public health burden in the United States and world-wide. Over 20 million adults in the US have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and over 0.6 million are on dialysis or have received a kidney transplant (end stage renal disease, ESRD). The incidence and prevalence of pediatric CKD also contributes to the growing volume of adults with CKD. Patients with CKD who have reached ESRD have a shortened life span, with a dismal 5-year survival rate of 33%. The adult and pediatric workforce in nephrology has been challenged with fewer entering the field and even fewer entering research. For these reasons, the Kidney Disease and Inflammation Training Program now incorporates training adult and pediatric nephrologists to meet the current and future challenges affecting our discipline. New and innovative technologies as well as traditional training platforms are described. Research is (urgently) necessary to better understand kidney disease pathogenesis and to design novel treatment options. The major goal of the Kidney Disease and Inflammation Training grant is to train the next generation of academic nephrologists and renal investigators in translational biomedical research to address the growing problem of kidney disease.
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