This training grant proposal seeks support to prepare individuals (MD, MD/PhD, or PhD) for a career in biomedical science as it relates to pediatric and adult rheumatology. The program is based in a large Division of Rheumatology (Pediatric), with several center grants (P30, P60, PO1) and NIH-funded investigators with the participation of an enlarging Division of Rheumatology (Adult) that also has strong NIH funding. The Pediatric Division, including its related clinic, is part of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and The Children's Hospital Research Foundation (TCHRF), as well as part of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) with its clinical and biomedical science departments. The Adult Division is part of the Department of Medicine of UCCOM and has strong ties to the Pediatric Division and to immunobiology researchers at CCHMC and UCCOM. The primary faculty advisors come not only from divisions within the Department of Pediatrics (Rheumatology, Allergy/Immunology, Experimental Hematology, Hematology/Oncology, Human Genetics, Immunobiology, Informatics, Molecular Immunology, and Psychology) and the Department of Medicine (Immunology and Infectious Disease) but also from the Departments of Environmental Health, and Pathology, and cover broad areas of expertise. These include immunobiology, genomics and bioinformatics, gene expression, molecular and developmental biology, gene therapy, stem cell biology, epidemiologist and biostatistics, and musculoskeletal biomechanics. In addition to continued expansion in pediatric rheumatology, CCHMC, UCCOM, and TCHRF have also seen considerable growth during the present five-year cycle of this training grant, particularly in immunobiology, experimental hematology, and bioinformatics. The program is well supported by core facilities as well as by academic courses, including a mandatory course in medical ethics. Other available courses include immunobiology, molecular genetics, and epidemiology and biostatistics. A new interdepartmental Immunobiology Graduate Program (MS and PhD) that is centered at CCHMC complements existing programs in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Education in the UCCOM. It is believed that this rheumatology program provides unique resources and will continue to enlarge the pool of individuals with a career interest in biomedical science as it relates to the subspecialties, a pool that is far too small to meet the requirements of the next decades as molecular medicine is increasingly applied in the clinic.
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