Our primary objective in this new T32 proposal, """"""""Bedside-to-Bench Research Training for Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellows"""""""" is to train highly skilled academic physicians in translational research relevant to infectious diseases of global importance to infants and children. The long-term goal of the program is to train pediatric physician-scientists who will become NIH-funded investigators skilled in multidisciplinary research initiatives. The title of our application reflects the emphasis that will be placed on preparing trainees to become pediatric infectious disease experts capable of managing complex patient populations prior to initiation of research training. This goal will be realized by providing trainees in the first year of fellowship with intense and diverse inpatient and outpatient clinical experiences in children's hospitals in the Twin Cities. Following the first year, two years of research support will be provided for intense, mentored investigation of pathogens and pathogen-host interactions. Mentored training will take place at the recently opened Center for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Translational Research (CIDMTR) at the University of Minnesota. The CIDMTR is a collaborative, multi-departmental facility consisting of investigators from the Departments of Microbiology, Pediatrics, and Internal Medicine. CIDMTR-affiliate faculty in the Department of Microbiology will also be mentors on the T32. Of the 27 investigators identified as mentors or prospective mentors, 11 are pediatricians or have a primary appointment in the Department of Pediatrics. A core group of senior faculty with independent NIH funding and training experience will be designated as primary mentors for this program. Investigators at the CIDMTR have strong translational research programs in infectious diseases of global health significance to children, including herpesviruses, malaria, tuberculosis, salmonella, and HIV infection. Additional opportunities will be available for T32 scholars to interface with experts in genomics, pharmacology, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, and clinical trials. Fellows elect to pursue research in a translational track, or a basic science track. Within both pathways, we have developed programs to ensure that fellows will acquire the scientific background and investigative skills necessary to conduct independent translational research. In either track, fellows have opportunities to pursue a graduate course work. Fellows may register as nonmatriculated graduate students in microbiology graduate course work, or pursue a novel Master's in Translational Research program. Safeguards will ensure that graduate work does not interfere with protected time to perform research. Two MD post-doctoral fellow slots/year are requested. A Scholarship Oversight Committee and an external advisory committee of NIH-funded pediatric investigators will monitor progress of the T32 scholars. We anticipate that our trainees will be uniquely well prepared to lead translational investigative programs in pediatric infectious diseases in their academic research careers.

Public Health Relevance

Project Narrative Infectious diseases continue to extract considerable morbidity and mortality in infants and children globally. There is a major need to translate basic research findings into more effective disease control interventions, including preventative strategies such as vaccines, and novel antimicrobial interventions. A group of experienced mentors with extensive research experience will educate pediatric infectious diseases physicians in how to conduct translational research on infectious diseases that are of importance to children throughout the world.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32HD068229-02
Application #
8262139
Study Section
Pediatrics Subcommittee (CHHD)
Program Officer
Higgins, Rosemary
Project Start
2011-05-10
Project End
2016-04-30
Budget Start
2012-05-01
Budget End
2013-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$138,453
Indirect Cost
$9,589
Name
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
555917996
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55455
Schleiss, Mark R; Berka, Ursula; Watson, Elizabeth et al. (2017) Additive Protection against Congenital Cytomegalovirus Conferred by Combined Glycoprotein B/pp65 Vaccination Using a Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Vector. Clin Vaccine Immunol 24:
McVoy, Michael A; Wang, Jian Ben; Dittmer, Dirk P et al. (2016) Repair of a Mutation Disrupting the Guinea Pig Cytomegalovirus Pentameric Complex Acquired during Fibroblast Passage Restores Pathogenesis in Immune-Suppressed Guinea Pigs and in the Context of Congenital Infection. J Virol 90:7715-27
Schleiss, Mark R; Bierle, Craig J; Swanson, Elizabeth C et al. (2015) Vaccination with a Live Attenuated Cytomegalovirus Devoid of a Protein Kinase R Inhibitory Gene Results in Reduced Maternal Viremia and Improved Pregnancy Outcome in a Guinea Pig Congenital Infection Model. J Virol 89:9727-38
Hanisch, Benjamin R; Bangirana, Paul; Opoka, Robert O et al. (2015) Thrombocytopenia May Mediate Disease Severity in Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Through Reduced Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1 Regulation of Proinflammatory and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines. Pediatr Infect Dis J 34:783-8
Iroh Tam, Pui-Ying; Hanisch, Benjamin R; O'Connell, Michael (2015) The Impact of Adherence to Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia Guidelines on Clinical Outcomes. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 54:1006-8
Iroh Tam, Pui-Ying; Hanisch, Benjamin R; Forward, Brennan (2015) Serotype 19A Bacteremic Pneumococcal Pneumonia After 4 Doses of 13-Valent Conjugate Vaccine: A Review of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Effectiveness. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 54:591-3
Rajasingham, Radha; Rhein, Joshua; Klammer, Kate et al. (2015) Epidemiology of meningitis in an HIV-infected Ugandan cohort. Am J Trop Med Hyg 92:274-9
Swanson, Elizabeth C; Gillis, Pete; Hernandez-Alvarado, Nelmary et al. (2015) Comparison of monovalent glycoprotein B with bivalent gB/pp65 (GP83) vaccine for congenital cytomegalovirus infection in a guinea pig model: Inclusion of GP83 reduces gB antibody response but both vaccine approaches provide equivalent protection against p Vaccine 33:4013-8
Hanisch, Benjamin R; Belani, Kiran (2014) CMV esophagitis as a cause of failure to thrive. Minn Med 97:50
Iroh Tam, Pui-Ying; Hanisch, Benjamin R; Klammer, Kate et al. (2014) Measles vaccine strain from the skin rash of a DiGeorge patient receiving tumor necrosis factor inhibitor. Pediatr Infect Dis J 33:117

Showing the most recent 10 out of 14 publications