This revised application for renewal of our T32 award, which has been funded since 1980, requests support for two trainees per year in each of the next five years. The Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Yale is composed of a diverse group of serious investigators who conduct laboratory-based or clinically-based translational research and who have made important contributions to our understanding of the pathogenesis, epidemiology, and prevention of infections in both children and adults. The Division also has a long history of selecting and training highly motivated pediatricians for productive careers in research, many of whom have assumed prominent leadership roles in academic medical centers, government agencies, NGOs, and industry. What is new in this proposal? We plan to: (1) Offer formal advanced didactic training in combination with mentored research that will culminate in either a Master of Health Science degree or a PhD degree in Investigative Medicine; (2) Establish two formal research tracks: clinically-based and laboratory-based translational research ? with opportunities for international research in either track; (3) Increase opportunities for conducting global infectious diseases research in low and middle income countries through international collaborative research of Yale faculty mentors/trainers and selected global mentors in Jamaica, Brazil, and Ghana; (4) Further expand potential research areas for fellows by enlisting additional faculty mentors/trainers with expertise in important areas such as the microbiome, the interface of infections and the immune system and emerging infectious diseases; (5) Expand the applicant pool for the T32 to include PhD post-doc trainees who want to be immersed in significant translational research in infectious diseases; (6) Enhance diversity through active recruitment of individuals underrepresented in biomedical research; and (7) Introduce new leadership for the program. Our goals are to identify and to recruit outstanding applicants, to help them learn to think critically, and to acquire research skills and experience that will prepare them for productive careers in clinical/translational research in globally significant infectious diseases that will make a real contribution to improving health. We describe a program that is tailored to each individual trainee, yet is designed to assure that all gain core competencies to be able to perform top quality clinical/translational research. The cornerstone of this training program will consist of a closely mentored and intensive training in laboratory- or clinically- based research related to Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Required didactic training will be available through Graduate level courses offered by the Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Health, the National Clinician Scholars Program (formerly the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program), and the Yale Investigative Medicine Program. All trainees will have individualized development plans and career mentoring, and physician fellows will also receive clinical training that will lead to eligibility for board certification in Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
Infectious diseases remain a leading cause of illness and death worldwide, particularly among children. The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program at Yale University aims to improve public health by training physician-scientists for careers dedicated to improving child health through research.
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