The lack of understanding of the processes underlying pediatric illnesses and their appropriate therapy inflicts a heavy burden on children and their families. Our program will address this issue by selecting, training, mentoring, and placing young pediatric investigators in the areas of both basic pediatric science and clinical research. The Principal Investigator and Program Director will be Dr. Michael M. Frank, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, who has had a long successful career in training and mentoring. He will be supported by three committees. The Selection Committee, composed of members of our department who are experienced investigators and mentors, will assess and rank potential trainees. Recruitment of trainees from under-represented minorities will be a focus of our program. This recruitment will be supported by Dr. Delbert R. Wigfall, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Dean, and Director of our Institutional Multicultural Resource Center. The Internal Advisory Committee will regularly assess the trainee's progress, the preceptor's mentoring, and the post-training placement and success of the trainees. Based on that review and the direct review of the Program Director, appropriate interventions for individual trainees will be implemented. The External Advisory Board, made up of internationally recognized successful academic pediatricians from across the United States, will review the accomplishment of the program goals, advise the Program Director as to the overall direction of the program, and help ensure the successful transition of the trainees into academic pediatrics. The program will have four trainees each year. The duration of training will be two to three years. A strong mentored research experience will be provided through interaction with successful clinical and basic pediatric scientists with established track records of mentoring. All trainees will take the course, Responsible Conduct of Research, and a course in grant and manuscript writing. They will develop their communication skills by giving seminars and other presentations. The trainees, depending on their track, will take courses that lead to a Master in Health Sciences degree or to a Master in Genomic Applications to Human Disease degree and will report regularly to the Program Director and the External Advisory Committee. Obtaining the master's degree will be elective, but it is anticipated that most trainees will elect to take the degree. The trainees will be provided career counseling by their mentors, the Internal Advisory Committee, and the Program Director. Our previous success in training fellows who hold academic positions supports the long-term goal of this Institutional National Research Service Award to develop successful academic pediatric scientists who will stay committed to research.
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