This is a renewal application for the Pain Research Training Grant at the University of California, San Francisco. The program provides training for basic scientists and clinicians. A major goal of the program is to maintain a mix of human clinical and laboratory-based projects and trainee investigators in order to enhance the application of laboratory findings to clinical practice and to focus laboratory work on clinically relevant problems. The program has been in place for nine years and has achieved its objectives of supporting innovative, clinically relevant investigations while training young investigators for careers in pain research. Training consists of individually designed programs of coursework, seminars, clinical conferences and individual supervised research projects. Basic scientists will carry out laboratory-based research, while those with medical backgrounds will receive training in pain management and either clinical or laboratory research. In addition to the core program, trainees may elect to participate in the UCSF Neuroscience Program's courses and conferences. The Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience, the Pain Management Center and the Pain Clinical Research Center also provide facilities for research and opportunities for intellectual cross-fertilization. Clinical fellows are also exposed to patient-oriented teaching in the Departments of Neurology, Anesthesiology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery.
