This application is for a competitive renewal of our K30 Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP), """"""""Strategic Clinical Research Curriculum Award"""""""", in response to RFA: HL-04-004, entitled Clinical Research Curriculum Award. The principal objective of this program is to provide new outstanding and investigatively minded medical students and clinician scientists with a strong foundation in the principles of clinical investigation, in order to prepare talented new clinical researchers for independent careers in clinical investigation and to afford committed candidates the opportunity to matriculate in a recent New York state approved Masters in Clinical Research. Two unique features of this CRTP will be to 1) extend our collaborative efforts with the Center of Excellence in Multicultural and Community Affairs to further enhance clinical research training and career development in health disparities research among qualified underrepresented minority candidates; and 2) to develop in concert with the Department of Medical Education, a joint MD/MS in Clinical Research, degree granting program. Drawing on the strengths of the Mount Sinai faculty, trainees will be educated about and mentored in four critical areas: 1) Epidemiology and Behavioral Studies; 2) Outcomes and Health Disparities Research; 3) Bioethics and Patient Oriented Research; and 4) Clinical Informatics, Bioinformatics and Information Technology. Participants who are selected to join this program will acquire the necessary skills to design and conduct clinical investigations of emerging medical treatments and to analyze and apply new diagnostic techniques and new approaches to study the pathophysiology of disease. In addition, we will continue our novel initiative to foster appreciation for clinical research among underrepresented minority youth participating in the Center of Excellence for Youth Education (CEYE), utilizing a dyad mentorship (trainee/student) program. This award will continue to enable this Institution to foster and cultivate the educational horizons and growth of clinical scientists.
