Veterinarians obtain broad comparative training in the pathophysiology of diseases across many species, and are therefore well positioned to conduct translational research that benefits human as well as veterinary health. However, most veterinarians do not obtain advanced training after obtaining their DVM degrees. In order to spark interest in formal research training programs, we propose the development of a Clinician Scientist Training Workshop that would provide entry-level research training to veterinary clinicians. The goals of this workshop are to enhance interest and applicable skills in applied research among veterinary residents and new veterinary faculty, to expose trainees in the human medical fields to spontaneous animal models of disease, and to promote collaborations with veterinary schools for bench-to-bedside research. The School of Veterinary Medicine, UW-Madison, will organize the two-day workshop, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. We will involve veterinary clinicians and other interested CTSA center members by remote conferencing to UC Davis, the University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University, and Ohio State, which are sites with both CTSAs and veterinary schools. The workshop is scheduled for the first or second weekend in October, and will be held at the Health Sciences Learning Center at UW-Madison. We are seeking support for the first year, but our goal is to offer this workshop biennially. Project
(provided by applicant): Most veterinary clinical trainees do not obtain adequate research training, yet these are the same clinicians that will become faculty members at veterinary schools across the country, and will be expected to mentor the next generation of veterinary clinician scientists. Many young clinical veterinary faculty, while confident and talented as clinicians and teachers, are ill-prepared to conduct their own independent, quality research. These faculty members have enormous untapped potential to contribute to collaborative and translational research initiatives. One of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research initiatives asserts that """""""" we must cultivate and train a cadre of clinical researchers with skills that match the increasing complexity and needs of the research enterprise...The clinical research workforce must be large enough to facilitate bench-to-bedside research... Clinicians must be trained to work in the interdisciplinary, team-oriented environments that characterize today's emerging research efforts."""""""" This Workshop is the first national meeting to provide entry-level research training to veterinary clinicians from various specialties. It is unique in its collaboration with the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, and is therefore well situated to promote research collaborations between veterinarians and medical, nursing, pharmacy, and engineering professionals. In addition, this is the first meeting to bring together veterinary members of CTSA-funded centers across the country, and should promote creative discussion of various collaboration models. This short workshop is by its nature and overview to start. We hope to interest participants in enrolling in ICTR's Capstone Certificate in the Fundamentals of Clinical Research or the Graduate Program in Clinical Investigation. We also hope to promote ongoing exploration of collaborations that can be developed among veterinary members of CTSA-funded units across the country.
