This proposal requests continued support for the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Vanderbilt University. The Vanderbilt MSTP provides students with a strong medical education and rigorous training in science. The grant supports students at Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College. ? ? The 65 students currently enrolled in the program come from 52 colleges representing all regions of the U.S. The applicant pool has more than tripled in the past five years as a result of enhanced recruiting efforts, including those focused specifically on the recruitment of students from underrepresented minority groups. In the current year, 320 applications have been received, from which 10 students will be selected to enter the incoming class. The institution has made a financial commitment to support the growth of the program to a steady state of 75 students over the next five years. This commitment includes a fundraising initiative to establish a $10 million endowment to support the MSTP. Programmatic identity is provided by weekly MSTP seminars, a clinical re-entry exercise, and a summer retreat. The academic program is designed to train leaders in biomedical research. Formal instruction in responsible conduct of research is included in the curriculum. Sixty-nine percent of our graduates with established careers hold academic positions. This includes three deans and 22 full professors. The 30% of graduates still in training are in excellent residencies and fellowships. ? ? The environment for physician-scientist training at Vanderbilt University is outstanding. The institution has 283 fulltime faculty in the basic science departments and 1,056 in the clinical departments. The faculty attracts $122.2 million in federally-sponsored research and $60.9 million in non-federal support. ? ? The proposal requests an increase in support from 20 to 26 (2 for Meharry; 24 for Vanderbilt/Meharry) funded positions during the five year project period. The proposed increase in funded positions will result in an increase in NIH support for the program from the current 31% to 33% in 2008. ? ?
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