This is a new institutional application that offers the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) a unique opportunity through its Department of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program, to recruit, train, and retain promising physician-scientist candidates (2 slots/year) and reverse the troubling losses from the physician-scientist pool. The program will be co-directed by Drs. Widlansky and Eapen, co-directors of the program, are both highly successful physician scientists with strong track records training medical students, residents and fellows. The goal of our program is to provide a versatile, integrated and effective approach for training the next generation of physician scientists in subspecialties of internal medicine that prepare them for a career in academics. We propose an interactive collaborative program designed with specific milestones, training, and metrics for both trainees and mentors. The program will include 5 critical components designed to overcome potential barriers and limitations for launching and sustaining a successful academic research career: i) individualized development plans, ii) dedicated multidisciplinary mentoring team, iii) protected research time, iv) research support including dedicated time for skill building, and v) an environment of integrated clinical and research experiences. Each trainee will be guided by a primary mentor in MCW?s Cardiovascular Center (CVC), the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) or the Division of Hematology-Oncology. An individualized development plan (IDP) will include foundational elements of progressive responsibility, coordination across multiple levels of translation, interactions with mentors and other clinical scientists, peer-to- peer learning opportunities, specific coursework, seminars, and conferences. Trainees will meet with primary mentors weekly to confirm milestones are met, and training in core competencies of ethical conduct of research, grant and manuscript writing, study design and management, reproducibility of data, and communication (mentoring, teamwork, networking, and oral presentation skills). Along with the Directors and two Associate Directors, an Advisory Committee, composed of multi- departmental MCW faculty with extensive experience with career development, leadership, and directing training grants, will provide program oversight and monitor trainee progress. An External Advisory Committee will comprehensively review the training program annually. Overall, the ultimate goal of this training program is to train the next generation of physician-scientists, including underrepresented minorities, by incorporating broad-based, personalized, supportive, and rigorous training opportunities.
This is a new request of an institutional award to support residents in a research-training program (basic science or clinical and translational) in cardiology or hematology-oncology in areas within the NHLBI?s mission. Our commitment for excellence in research training has foundations in the core values of diversity, mentorship, and improved health outcomes by training the next generation of cardiovascular scientists, including underrepresented minorities, through broad-based, personalized, supportive, and rigorous training opportunities. At a time when the burden of commitment to an academic career is under threat (due to student debt, training periods lacking adequate protected research time, decline in research funding, and limited or ineffectual mentorship), this new application is designed to stimulate the recruitment and development of talented young physicians who will make the next series of advances in research in cardiology or hematology-oncology.
