As one looks to a future in which interdisciplinary approaches in the biomedical sciences are crucial, it is important to identify strategies to help the next generation of scientists successfully navigate an increasingly complex research landscape and to forge new paths on the edges among disciplines. The field of organogenesis is one such complex and emerging discipline. The Center for Organogenesis at University of Michigan was formed in 1995 to unite basic, applied, and clinical scientists with a common goal: To understand the basic mechanisms by which organs and tissues are formed and maintained, and to use this knowledge to create long-lasting artificial organs, improved stem cell therapies, and effective organ transplantation systems that will correct acquired and genetic human diseases. The Training Program in Organogenesis, initiated nine years ago, is an integral part of the educational mission of the Center. Its goals are: a) to provide intellectual and technical training in the field of Organogenesis;and b) to promote interdisciplinary thinking by exposing trainees to research that crosses boundaries among the clinical, basic, and applied sciences. These goals are accomplished by encouraging a two-mentor structure for research training and requiring trainees to participate in several specific training activities: formal courses in Organogenesis, a Monthly Seminar series, Monthly Trainee Meeting, Journal Club, International Symposium, and the Organogenesis Students and Fellows Association (OFSA). Trainees also actively shape the training program, proposing new initiatives such as Bioartography, a novel combination of art, science, and public education and Crosstalk, a forum that improves communication between basic and clinical trainees and mentors thus provides an effective mechanism to recruit outstanding M.D. fellows to the training program. This competitive renewal requests support for six predoctoral and three postdoctoral training slots (one specifically targeted to an M.D. fellow). Trainees come primarily from the laboratories of the 33 listed mentors on the training program, all of whom are highly recognized scientists. Formal competitive applications, reviewed by a selection committee, are required for acceptance into the program. The program is monitored by several internal mechanisms and also by an External Advisor (Dr. Brigid Hogan, Duke University) to ensure its continued responsiveness to demands of an ever-changing research environment.
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