This proposal is in response to PAR-03-034 """"""""Neuroinformatics Institutional Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K12)."""""""" The overarching goal of this application is to provide an excellent postdoctoral training program in neuroimaging neuroinformatics that capitalizes on the many strengths of the existing neuroscientists, informatics and imaging resources that our combined resources represent. Our proposed Neuroimaging Neuroinformatics Training Program (NNTP) is based upon a number of important strategic alliances. The first cornerstone of this effort is the existing HBP grants held by Dr. Anders Dale (R01 NS39581: Cortical-Surface-Based Brain Imaging) and Dr. David Kennedy (R01 NS34189: Anatomic Morphologic Analysis of MR Brain Images). These efforts span a wealth of technological developments, research and clinical application areas in the rapidly developing area of quantitative morphometric image analysis. A second and vital cornerstone is our association with the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Biomedical Informatics Program. This existing pre- and post-graduate academic program, within a world class biomedical engineering department, is an ideal setting for the development of a coordinated training effort in Neuroinformatics. The established track record in training skilled scientists in areas of informatics will prove invaluable in this new initiative. The third cornerstone is the combined clinical research opportunities afforded by the Harvard-wide biomedical imaging resources. These include the MGH/MIT/HST Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, the Harvard Neuroimaging Center, the Surgical Planning Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Brain Morphology BIRN (Biomedical Informatics Research Network) and the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Together, these active and vibrant programs provide for the best possible training opportunities in imaging science, computer science, clinical application areas, and cognitive neuroscience. A substantial and successful pool of internationally renowned mentors have agreed to participate in this program, and the combined resources provide the best possible exposure to all neuroimaging procedures and insure the capability to draw the highest caliber trainees. A plan for recruiting, selecting and monitoring trainees is proposed. This program will be an asset to the Neuroinformatics initiatives of the Human Brain Project by helping to prepare future scientists with advanced neuroinformatics skills ? ?
