? This application is for the competitive renewal of NIH support for the post-doctoral research training program in pediatric endocrinology at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP), Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh. The goal of this research training program, currently in its tenth year, is to provide state-of-the-art training in the molecular, cellular, physiologic, genetic, and biochemical aspects of pediatric endocrinology to ensure that the physician-scientists who graduate from this program are well prepared for productive academic careers in translational research related to pediatric endocrinology. The majority of graduates of this program are in full-time academic positions or are pursuing additional training. This program entails two to three years of mentored research (basic science or clinical) beyond the first clinical year of fellowship training. The faculty members of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism have diverse interests, are active investigators, are well-funded for clinical and basic research, and are widely interactive with other components of the University of Pittsburgh. While the clinical year revolves around the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the CHP, subsequent research years will be supervised by a primary mentor selected from the University of Pittsburgh faculty. All Research Faculty Mentors are established investigators, selected because of the immediate translational relevance and high caliber of their research, their outstanding records of training M.D. and Ph.D. scientists, their long-term productivity and success in securing extramural funding, and their interest in interdisciplinary projects. In addition to a primary research mentor, each trainee will be supervised by a mentorship committee to oversee and evaluate his/her scientific progress and career development. Trainees will work side-by-side with other M.D., Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D. pre-doctoral or post-doctoral trainees. Periodic evaluations, coupled with formal course work, will provide a rigorous intellectual foundation for each trainee's scientific endeavors. Together with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the CHP has committed 250 million dollars to pediatric research over the next 10 years. This commitment will be used to build a second pediatric research building of 100,000 new square feet to go along with the current pediatric research building of 110,000 square feet. Thus, the exceptional achievements of this program, its critical intellectual mass, and the tremendous resources at the CHP and the University of Pittsburgh have made this an outstanding program to train pediatric endocrine physician-scientists, encourage their transition to K awards, and cultivate their success as independent RO1 funded investigators ? ?
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