Clinical medicine in the mist of two revolutions. The first revolution is scientific, and reflects an explosive growth in cellular and molecular biological information. The second revolution is economic. The widespread influence of managed care has transformed health care delivery in this country, and has reduced opportunities for young clinicians to develop academic research careers. For the continued vitality of academic surgery, a national need exists to train surgical scientists. The purpose of this proposal is to foster development of such individuals in the field of Gastrointestinal Surgery. The proposal wound enroll three MD trainees per year for a two or three year research fellowship. For each trainee, the specific aims of the fellowship are: 1) to provide an extended and in-depth exposure to the techniques and knowledge to the basic science discipline; 2) to enable highly intensive, supervised training in laboratory investigations; and 3) to foster an increasing level of research initiative designed to establish a viable independent research career. The strength of the proposal is its focus on gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology at the cellular and molecular level. Thirteen investigators from four university departments are participating as trainers. Program faculty are drawn from General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Physiology. All are members of the Michigan Gastrointestinal Peptide Center. Research Training will occur in the laboratories of these preceptors and will be supplemented by the additional physical and intellectual resources provided by the GI Peptide Center and its several core facilities. Formal instruction in fundamental research methods and design are available through one of two instructional programs. The first is an intensive course in cellular and molecular biological techniques. The second course involves offerings in experimental design, biostatistics, and fundamental cell biology. The instructional programs will be completed during the first year of the research fellowship. Further instruction is provided by an organized series of lectures, seminars, and research retreats. Completion of the program will produce superbly prepared clinician-scientists for appointments in academic surgical departments.
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