Pediatric Critical Care Medicine is a rapidly growing, yet relatively new subspecialty. The need for increased academic physician-scientists in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, and collaborative rigorous investigation of new treatment modalities with focus on pathobiology and long-term morbidities is clear. This is a proposal to establish a post-doctoral research training program in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. The goal of the proposal is to increase the number of highly trained, successfully funded and sustainable pediatric critical care physician-scientists, who will perform high level laboratory and/or clinical-translational research that will ultimately improve our understanding of the pathobiology of critical illness, improve short and longterm outcomes, and reduce the incidence of children with residual disabilities and/or chronic disease. To this end, this program aims to provide comprehensive science training and mentoring career development for pediatricians with an M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degree who commit themselves to an academic career with a strong research component. The key elements of the proposed training program are (1) a mentored research experience, (2) scientific course work, (3) career development workshops, (4) interdisciplinary experiences, (5) continuing review and evaluation. The centerpiece of the program is the establishment of a 4-year fellowship training program, with two years devoted to intense research training in basic laboratory science, clinical-translational science, or epidemiology related to pediatric critical care disease. A large number of exceptionally qualified faculty have committed their support as mentors for fellows supported by the proposed training grant. The faculty are affiliated with several of the UCSF campuses and organized research units and programs, and are representative of the strong interaction between laboratory-based investigators and clinical investigators at UCSF. In addition, the resources of these affiliations, which include the Cardiovascular Research Institute, the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, the Biomedical Science Program, the Program in Biological Sciences, several UCSF clinical campuses, and Oakland Children's Hospital, are all available to the trainees. All fellows will take courses in (1) Responsible conduct in research, (2) Scientific writing and (3) The art of lecturing. Fellows and their mentor plan a program of additional discipline-specific course work dependent on both the prior experience and training of the applicant and the scientific theme of the trainee's research. UCSF has a tradition of interdisciplinary investigation and education. Fellows will broaden their education both within their discipline and across disciplines by attending a selection of the many seminar series, journal clubs, and workshops sponsored by the interdisciplinary programs. A Trainees Mentoring Program will support post-doctoral fellows in their training and career development. Fellows will be matched with three faculty mentors on entry into their training;the mentors will be available to meet with the fellow on a regular basis, and no less than twice a year, to assist him/her in setting and monitoring training and career goals. The Department of Pediatrics and the Division of Critical Care Medicine have a strong track record in recruiting and training pediatric sub-specialists, and our graduates have an excellent record of sustained accomplishments in academic pediatrics. Thus, the rationale for the program is based on the well documented need for well-designed training programs to prepare pediatric-scientists for a sustained productive career in Pediatric Critical Care research and the fact that the Department of Pediatrics at UCSF has the vision, experience and infrastructure to train the next generation of leaders in pediatric science.
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