The long-term term objective of this institutional NRSA is to train a new generation of pediatric subspecialists in basic scientific investigation. The general thematic focus of the NRSA training experience will be molecular medicine, defined as the use of sophisticated molecular approaches to improve diagnosis and treatment of pediatric diseases. The program will be physically located on the campus of Columbus Children's Hospital, the home of both Children's Research Institute (CRI) and the Department of Pediatrics (DOP/OSU) in the College of Medicine and Public Health, The Ohio State University. In the last few years, there has been a substantial resource commitment to research at CRI. Our long-range strategic plan includes a new 160,000 square foot research building contiguous with the extant Wexner Institute that will house 50 new state-of-the-art laboratory modules. The plan also calls for at least 40 new pediatric research scientists to be recruited by the end of 2006. To accommodate for this dramatic expansion, CRI has undergone a reorganization of its faculty and laboratories into Centers of Emphasis. These Centers purposefully dissolve the traditional academic division-based silos of research and provide for alignment of investigators based on scientific interests and needs. This unique organizational model allows the DOP/OSU to adopt a novel approach to subspecialty research training. In brief, each of the Centers will function as a training unit for fellows. The scientific training and mentoring for individual fellows will be the responsibility of the selected training unit (Center) and its faculty. Importantly, each Center will also stratify faculty based on training experience. Faculty with less training experience will be paired with an experienced mentor who will serve as a co-advisor. Using this approach, our goal is to not only provide outstanding training for the fellows, but also to """"""""train"""""""" junior faculty. This training model, combined with the organizational commitment to the research infrastructure, puts the DOP/OSU and Children's Hospital in position to offer a high-caliber subspecialty research training program for the first time in its 110-year history.
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