The goals of this amended 5-year competitive renewal application for continuation of a training program in musculoskeletal biology are to: 1. Provide training to highly motivate pre- and post-doctoral trainees for research careers as basic scientists or clinical investigators studying the causes, treatments, and response to therapy of musculoskeletal diseases. 2. Continue an educational environment for graduate pre-doctoral students, post- doctoral fellows, and faculty encompassing a modern spectrum of research in musculoskeletal diseases, including basic discovery, investigation of musculoskeletal disease models, and study of clinical and translational outcomes of standard treatments. The training grant boasts a large group of highly-qualified research mentors in state-of- the-art research environments and provides an ideal modern setting for training and stimulating young research scientists. The research strengths of the institution are reflected in this application and include bone and cartilage biology and physiology, biomechanics, imaging, epidemiology, cancer, and animal models. Support is requested for five positions (3 predoctoral and 2 postdoctoral) for each year. Predoctoral trainees eligible for this training program will be accepted into one of many existing degree or combined degree graduate programs that involve the training faculty. Postdoctoral fellows will be recruited by individual mentors and through the residency programs of the Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Dentistry, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. The training program will be integrated and enriched by a program of seminars, journal clubs, a core course, and an annual retreat. The primary goals of the program are to attract exceptional young scientists in the field of musculoskeletal biology and to assist their intellectual and technical development into productive and independent investigators interested in the mechanisms and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.
Musculoskeletal diseases account for 1 in 9 trips to primary care physicians' offices. There is a tremendous and increasing need for developing new and effective therapies for musculoskeletal disorders to improve the general health and quality of life of our patients. This training grant focuses on exposing the best and brightest young scientists to a broad spectrum of musculoskeletal disorders and encouraging them to pursue lifelong involvement in understanding the mechanisms and developing new therapies for these maladies.
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