The UAB-HudsonAlpha Genomic Medicine Research Training Program builds on a successful partnership and complementary strengths of these two institutions in north Alabama. Our program will train postdoctoral fellows from MD, PhD, and MDPhD backgrounds, focusing on genomic medicine in clinical research. We propose a 2 - 3 year program, matriculating 3 - 4 trainees per year from MD (both medical genetics and other medical specialties) and clinically oriented PhD applicants, for a steady-state level of 9 - 10 trainees. Our program will emphasize research in one of 30 faculty laboratories (10 from HudsonAlpha, 20 from UAB) along with acquisition of basic and fundamental skills in the areas of genomics, quantitative sciences, and ELSI considerations for genomic medicine. Essential and innovative features of our program are (1) individualized training with a mentoring committee and passport model for competencies, recognizing that success in genomic medicine will integrate expertise and backgrounds from different disciplines; (2) a mentors in training feature for junior faculty members with great promise in research but little mentoring experience; and (3) the opportunity for trainees to gain expertise in educational outreach with students, members of the lay community, and community physicians.
The discipline of genomics and technological advances in DNA sequencing offer great promise for improving human health, with new opportunities for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of both common and rare disorders. Integrating genomics into healthcare will depend on training a new cadre of scientists and clinicians that integrates knowledge and expertise from multiple different areas to focus on opportunities to apply genomics to medicine.
| Feeley, Kyle P; Edmonds, Mick D (2018) Hiding in Plain Sight: Rediscovering the Importance of Noncoding RNA in Human Malignancy. Cancer Res 78:2149-2158 |
