The major objective of this application is the training of M.D.s or Ph.D.s as researchers in the field of autoimmunity as it relates to arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases in children and adults. The proposal is for a two-year research fellowship which, for the M.D. trainee, would ordinarily follow a clinical year in either adult or pediatric rheumatology. The impetus for this application is the recent arrival of a pediatric rheumatologist to the Oklahoma University (OU) Health Sciences Center, resulting in a broadened, coordinated research program at the faculty level. The rationale for the proposed training program is as follows: First, many of the autoimmune diseases in the above categories, such as lupus, dermatomyositis, and chronic arthritis occur in both adult and pediatric settings. Having an integrated clinical training program is intended to allow physician-investigators to see the full spectrum of the clinical manifestations of the diseases they are studying, and will facilitate clinically-related research. Second, within this group, there are multiple areas of laboratory expertise, including protein chemistry, molecular biology, immunology, immunocytochemistry, and cell biology, and different approaches to problem solving in the laboratory. Having an integrated research training program involving many investigators in different, but related, fields will allow trainees to widen their scope in laboratory research. The majority of time spent in the two-year research fellowship will be in mentored-bench research. Research seminars, clinical conferences, direct patient care, and formal graduate school course work complete the program. The proposed program is intended to prepare young investigators for research careers in either adult or pediatric rheumatology.
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