The UCSF Department of Surgery is seeking renewal of its application for funding to train three general surgery residents per year for five years. Ths training program has existed at UCSF for 26 years. Herein we aim to provide the 21st century surgeon-scientist with the tools and training necessary to make important new discoveries and develop innovative therapies. Participants will receive in-depth training in preclinical, clinical r translational research in surgical diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The traditional model of surgical research has been to train surgery residents in the laboratories of practicing surgeon-scientists, and for trainees to subsequently develop independent research programs with a focus on basic science investigations. Although successful in the past, changing societal, governmental and individual priorities demand that this model evolve. With fewer than 250 NIH-funded surgeons in the United States, we must re- design our surgeon-scientist training programs in order to secure the future scientific contribution of the clinical discipline. Specifically, contemporary training programs must leverage the innate curiosity, inventiveness and clinical insights of surgeons with the research tools and skills necessary to complete and accelerate the transfer of knowledge from the bench to the bedside and operating room. To pursue opportunities for impactful translational innovation within the field of general surgery, we will provide a training fellowship in which surgical trainees study in a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental research environment with a focus on preclinical, clinical or translational research. General surgery residents will train with members of a multidisciplinary faculty following an individually tailored program that encompasses a base curriculum plus specialized training in one of three focus areas. Whereas a base curriculum that includes instruction in clinical trial design, scientific writing, and biostatistics will be required of all program particpants, it will be complimented by specialized training in either preclinical, clinical or translational research according to an individual development plan crafted by the trainee and their mentors. This approach is designed to enable trainees to mature into independent investigators who can be clinically productive while also making novel, relevant contributions to the practice and science of general surgery. The long-term goal of this training program is to provide general surgery residents with thorough training in applied research that will prepare them to help transform American health care in ways that tangibly improve patient care.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are common, debilitating and poorly understood. There is widespread recognition that the translation of basic scientific discoveries to the bedside and operating room must be promoted and accelerated. If properly trained, general surgeons can play a transformative role in the application of new science by leveraging their clinical insights, innate curiosity and innovative problem solving skills to alleviating diseases of the gastrointestinal system and improving patient care.
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