The primary objective of the Pediatric Hematology Research Training Program, which will complete its 30th year of funding in 2006, has been to prepare pediatricians for careers in academic medicine and biomedical research.
Specific aims i nclude (1) the provision of research training opportunities in a wide variety of basic and clinical research areas including hemoglobinopathies, megakaryocytes and platelets, immunohematology, stem cell development, molecular diagnostic techniques, molecular basis of hemostasis and gene therapy;(2) the opportunity for structured course work in cell and molecular biology, immunology, biochemistry, gene transfer, biostatistics, epidemiology and research design,;(3) careful monitoring of the progress of individual trainees and the overall success of the training program, and (4) an emphasis on skills and accomplishments critical for successful academic careers such as preparation of manuscripts, presentations at seminars and national meetings, and submission of grant applications. The training faculty consists of a closely knit group of physicians and scientists who have strong records as mentors and productive investigators, who have competed successfully for NIH and other federal funding, and who have interacted for many years in training and research activities. Extended research training is offered in a fellowship program designed to develop independent, funded investigators. Training opportunities have been enhanced by the setting within a state-of-the-art research facility, the recruitment of new, outstanding faculty members, the renewal of the NIH Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, and the awarding and/or renewal of program project grants in the areas of coagulation biology and gene transfer for hemophilia. The program has emphasized the research training of minority students at all levels in order to increase the numbers of these individuals in biomedical careers. Despite a national trend away from pediatric subspecialty research training and toward clinical practice, the Pediatric Hematology Research Training Program continues to attract outstanding candidates, and to prepare them for careers as biomedical investigators in academic institutions.
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