? The Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB) and the Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension Division of the Department of Medicine, of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), with participation by the Division of Nephrology of the Department of Pediatrics of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), resubmit this proposal for the continuation of an innovative and successful research training program for clinicians in nephrology clinical research, specifically designed to strengthen the links among traditional clinical epidemiology and adult and pediatric clinical nephrology. The objective of the program is to train individuals who already are physicians to be rigorous and independent investigators able to use the range of approaches available in epidemiology to address clinical research projects in the etiology, prognosis, prevention and early detection, treatment, or clinical economics of kidney disease. ? The two- to three-year training program consists of required courses in clinical epidemiology, research methodology, and biostatistics; a required course in renal epidemiology; elective courses; extensive independent readings; attendance at and participation in research seminars in the CCEB and at Penn's and CHOP'S nephrology program sites; plus the completion of an independent research project. Specifically, the training program is designed to: 1) provide in-depth knowledge of the research techniques appropriate to clinical research; 2) provide research experience with mentors in clinical epidemiology and nephrology research; and 3) bring together faculty and fellows through participation in seminar series in the CCEB and the respective clinical departments. Trainees will matriculate in the Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) degree program. ? Strengths of the proposed program, Clinical Research Training in Kidney Disease, are the long history of successful research training programs in the CCEB and Nephrology; the collaborative links that already have been forged among the three programs; the comprehensive course offerings and research programs that are available to trainees, and an extensive set of experienced program directors and faculty preceptors with successful training records. In addition, the availability of the broad range of rich expertise of the faculties in the CCEB and the nephrology programs at CHOP and Penn, numerous existing large databases available to these groups that can be used for research projects and training, a broad array of specialized analytic capabilities available for clinical studies (e.g., clinical trials, case-control, cohort research, etc.), and the faculties' commitment to collaborative research and training, combine to provide an ideal environment for this proposed training program. ? ?
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