The purpose of the Training Program in Transfusion Medicine and Hematology is to provide research training for post-doctoral fellows (MD only, MD-PhD and PhD's) in the scientific disciplines related to Transfusion Medicine and Hematology. Upon completion of this 2-year program, each trainee will be qualified to assume an academic position and conduct an independent program of clinical or laboratory investigation in one or more of the fields of study included in this program, including Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology (Track I); Hemoglobinopathies, Hematopoiesis and Cell Therapy (Track II); Coagulation and Thrombosis (Track III); and Molecular Biology, Molecular Signaling, and Genetics (Track IV). In each of these tracks, exposure to the clinical aspects of the area selected (comprising less than 25 per cent of total trainee time during the tenure of this fellowship) will be provided to permit the trainee to understand the clinical context in which the research which s/he is to undertake is placed. The remainder of the time (at least 75%) will be spent in a defined tutorial research program with a preceptor in one of the laboratories or clinical investigation areas described in this grant proposal. Trainees pursuing basic research will be laboratory-based and will supplement their research training with graduate coursework as identified in each research track. Trainees in areas of clinical investigation will be encouraged to pursue a masters in health sciences in clinical research degree granted by the Duke University Clinical Research Training Program; at a minimum, they will be expected to complete an introductory course in statistics and other coursework pertinent to clinical investigation. The training program funded by this award will be offered to qualified persons holding either the M.D. and/or Ph.D. degree with interest in research training in transfusion medicine and hematology. The trainees in all tracks will also take part in an inter- and intradepartmental didactic program, including both standardized curricular content as well as topical seminars and conferences. Semiannual assessments by a Research Oversight Committee will include: oral and written presentations of research progress by the trainee, preparation of manuscripts, career development activities, and submission of grant proposals. We will endeavor to include at least one PhD trainee each year. Persons from minority groups and women will be encouraged to enter the program. The facilities for research training will be based at the various research laboratories and clinics of Duke University and the allied Veterans' Administration Medical Centers in Durham, North Carolina. Fulfillment of the training goals of this program will meet present and future needs for scientists and physician-scientists who can conduct high caliber research in both basic and clinical sciences related to transfusion medicine and hematology and who can translate the rapidly growing knowledge in these fields to improvements in the care of patients with hematologic disorders and other conditions requiring blood product and stem cell therapy.
This training program will provide basic, translational and clinical research training to physicians and PhD scientists focused on problems related to hematologic diseases and their treatment, including the science of transfusion, cellular therapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Advances in these fields are needed in order to improve the health of millions of people with inherited and acquired blood disorders.
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