This training program is a competing continuation of a program funded by National Research Service Award T32 HL007427-26. The program, which has operated continuously for the past 25 years, focuses on chronic respiratory disease, particularly asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which are major public health problems. Asthma and COPD are inextricably linked with early childhood factors, including gender, diet, allergen exposure, and cigarette smoke exposure, as well as with genetic susceptibility;these factors influence disease expression throughout life. In this setting, there is a critical need for individuals trained in the application of epidemiologic methods to research in respiratory biology. This program is instrumental in meeting this need, successfully training independent research investigators who go on to lead their own research programs across the U.S. and Canada. The program provides research training in 4 main areas: statistics, epidemiologic risk factors, genetics, and health policy. Six postdoctoral and two predoctoral training positions are requested in this proposal. These trainees will interact with a pool of 36 faculty members in the 4 project areas. Each trainee will have the opportunity to become involved in the design, execution, and analysis of ongoing federally and non-federally funded research projects. Their research is conducted at the Channing Laboratory, a research division of the Department of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). Postdoctoral trainees undertake didactic classroom work leading to a master's degree in science (Sc.M.), with a concentration in epidemiology, or in public health (M.P.H.), with a concentration in quantitative methods at the HSPH. After completing our program, trainees will be eligible to assume academic positions in the field of respiratory disease epidemiology at any of a variety of institutions. Trainees also benefit from a close relationship with the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. For the past 10 years, we've had a 96% retention of trainees in academic positions.
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