This is a renewal grant application to provide continued funding for the post-doctoral T32 training program entitled Training in Trauma and Burn Research, which is currently in year 14. The goal of this training program is to prepare physician-scientists to perform clinically applicable and translational research in trauma science. The program solicits applications from young physicians in surgery residency programs and resident physicians in disciplines related to trauma, burn and critical care medicine, who wish to enter a two-year period of intensive research training in traumatology in the Burn and Shock Trauma Research Institute (BSTRI) at Loyola University Chicago. Richard L. Gamelli, MD, Director of the BSTRI, Chief of the Loyola Burn Center and Senior Vice President and Provost of Health Sciences of Loyola University Chicago, will continue to serve as the Program Director and Principal Investigator of the Training Grant. The training program faculty consists of a multidisciplinary group of well-funded basic scientists, clinician-scientists and clinicians with active research programs. The faculty interests are varied yet highly complementary, and range from the examination and modulation of the local response to injury, the study of the underlying molecular mechanisms to the analyses of systemic responses following traumatic insults and clinical-epidemiological outcomes research. Training faculty who serve as primary mentors for T32-funded trainees hold primary and secondary appointments in basic science and clinical departments and research institutes. This gives trainees a wide range of research areas from which to choose. In addition, the training program provides the unique opportunity to obtain additional graduate degrees while in training (Masters of Arts in Bioethics, Masters of Science in in Clinical Research Methods, Masters of Public Health), which will further enhance scientific career development. The T32 training program currently supports two trainees per year; additional trainees are supported by other sources, such as philanthropy. A goal for the next cycle is to expand the program to four T32 funded trainees per year. A detailed plan for the recruitment of underrepresented minorities, which includes our efforts at local and national levels and a comprehensive plan to promote educational and mentorship opportunities for young minority students at school, undergraduate and medical school levels are provided. The training plan emphasizes a close working relationship between each trainee and their mentor. Individual Training and Development Plans facilitate the trainee's career development and training opportunities. The training plan includes intensive laboratory research, seminars, journal clubs, training in grant writing, and didactic coursework in both statistics and research bioethics Written research proposals, formal research presentations, and semi-annual evaluations are required for all trainees. Our long-term goal is to increase the number of clinician and PhD scientists who are qualified and motivated to work together to address fundamental questions in transitional trauma research.
Trauma is the 5th leading cause of death in the overall population and the leading cause of death among those aged 5 to 44. Improvement of current treatment strategies for trauma patients through effective translational research can be achieved only when a continuous pool of talented and expertly trained physician-scientists is maintained. The Burn and Shock Trauma Research Institute and the program faculty at Loyola University Chicago, with its diverse areas of research allowing trainees to study basic, clinical and translational projects, provide an ideal environment for the training of the next generation of physician-scientists who work alongside basic scientists and clinicians to solve problems in trauma biology to improve patient care.
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