The major components of the Nephrology T32 program at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) are integrated to offer comprehensive multidisciplinary research training to 4 highly selected postdoctoral trainees per year (each receiving a minimum of 2 years of support) under the supervision of 19 senior mentors with diverse and complementary research expertise. Our goal is to train the future leaders of Academic Nephrology. The program includes an exceptionally well-equipped research environment with state-of-the-art technologies. Our collaborative training program provides formal didactic instruction and enrichment activities critically important during the formative training years, and all research trainees complete a program in the Responsible Conduct of Research. Our program has a strong foundation in the Basic Sciences, and an emerging expertise in Clinical and Translational (C/T) Science. The 3 major components of our T32 Program are as follows: A. Training Organized by Established and Emerging Disciplines. The program has a continued focus in Basic (or Fundamental) Research and a growing expertise in C/T Research. Our highly selected and well- funded senior mentoring pool is strongly aligned in these two areas. We have also specifically added a concentration in the area of genetics and genomics of kidney disease, built around the new Associate Director, Iain Drummond PhD, with a total of 4 senior mentors in this area. B. Training Tailored to the Background of Trainees with the Number of Trainees Optimized. In this renewal, we request 4 postdoctoral positions (from our original 7) that will be offered on an annual basis to selected candidates with PhD, MD-PhD or MD degrees. In general, two will be allocated to trainees with a focus in basic research and two to trainees with a focus in C/T research. The profile of our diverse applicants over the past 5 years suggests we will have an excellent applicant pool to meet this balance. The duration of support will be individualized. We provide tuition support for formal instructional courses to trainees in a variety of areas including C/T Science, and in areas of Basic Science for MDs who are committed to a fundamental research track but have minimal wet bench experience. C. Training Facilities and Resources. Training is conducted in the laboratories of our Mentors, a collaborative group of established investigators with strong training records and achievements in kidney research. The MGH Division of Nephrology laboratories collectively occupy >20,000 sq ft of dedicated research space, with over 80% allocated to wet-bench space. Training in C/T Research includes access to the full range of acute and chronic care settings at MGH, including intensive care units, hemodialysis and transplant units and numerous outpatient clinics, and an infrastructure involving statisticians, research coordinators, technicians, and dedicated space to perform human studies.
This application requests funding to enhance MGH's rigorous and selective T32 Nephrology Training Program whose aim is to prepare new scientists for independent research careers in Academic Nephrology. A select group of highly motivated investigators (PhD, MD-PhD, or MD) at the postdoctoral level will be trained by MGH's versatile faculty to conduct basic and clinical/translational research using interdisciplinary state-of-the- art technologies to address complex biomedical problems related to the causes of and cures for kidney and related diseases.
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