This proposal for an Institutional Neurological Sciences Academic Development Award (NSADA) is presented by the Boston Children's Hospital. The Program Director of this NSADA program, Dr. Joseph Volpe, is the Chairman of the Department of Neurology and leader of the child neurology residency program at Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. The entire NSADA program will be carried out in the Longwood Medical Area, a physically and intellectually unified area composed of the Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Pubic Health. The primary goal of this proposal is to provide research development programs in basic and clinical neuroscience for child neurology residents committed to an academic career with a dominant career focus in research. The major components of the research development plan for both basic and clinical neuroscience are: 1) advice and guidance; 2) formal course work; 3) the research experience with the research mentor; 4) other intellectual activities; and 5) integration of components and ongoing evaluation and guidance. In basic neuroscience, the formal course work is derived from the Harvard Program in Neuroscience directed by Dr. Gerald Fischbach, Chairman of the Department of Neurobiology and Associate Director of this NSADA proposal. Course work will be continued in the first two years of the NSADA program for basic neuroscience development. The research experience with the research mentor will also begin during this interval and, in fact, will constitute the majority of the resident's total research effort. A remarkable richness of research opportunities are available in molecular, cellular, and systems/ integrative neurobiology from mentors at the Children's Hospital (primarily in the Department of Neurology), the Harvard Medical School (primarily in the Department of Neurobiology), and in the Departments of Neurology at the Beth Israel/Brigham and Women's Hospitals. This breadth and depth are crucial for the research development of the relatively undifferentiated child neurology resident and represent the greatest strengths of this proposal. In clinical neuroscience, the five elements of the research development program and the commitment to highly rigorous research training are identical to those features of the basic neuroscience research development program. The formal course work, however, is composed of study at the Harvard School of Public Health, consisting of a core and an elective curriculum, leading to a Master of Science degree at the School. Fundamental grounding in epidemiology, study design and biostatistics is thereby established. The research experience with the research mentor is carried out in one of seven well- developed clinical research programs at the Children's Hospital, i.e., cognitive neuroscience, epidemiology, epilepsy, neonatal neurology, neurocardiology, neurogenetics and neuro-oncology. The strong track record of the Program Director in fostering development of child neurology residents in research training in preparation for academic careers, the integrated nature of the Longwood Medical Area, including the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, the commitment and established collaborative relation between the Program Director and the Associate Director, Dr. Fischbach, in research development of child neurology residents ensure the success of this NSADA program.
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