This competing renewal of a training program is designed to prepare highly qualified postdoctoral fellows for research leadership careers in translational lung biology and lung disease relevant research. To ensure the most competitive program, we seek applications from MD and PhD candidates from a wide range of sources and a wide variety of scientific, personal, racial and ethnic backgrounds emphasizing a nationwide competition. This program has been highly successful since its inception 25 years ago, and in this renewal, we have maintained our focus on training in fundamental areas relevant to lung injury, immunology, and repair. We did, however, continue to adapt to the needs of pulmonary research in the second decade of the 21st century and facing forward the 3rd decade. Specifically, we continued our efforts to augment training in investigative efforts that will foster human and translational investigations, especially training in cutting edge approaches including genomics and high throughput profiling technologies, bioengineering, genome editing, computational biology and bioinformatics, epidemiology, outcomes research and implementation science with a focus on enhancing scientific rigor and reproducibility. MD trainees may enter this program only after having completed the clinical requirements for Board eligibility. Optimal research training is achieved by protecting the trainees' time to allow their efforts to be dedicated to research. Training is mentor-based, interdisciplinary, and enriched by didactic courses and by interactions with diverse faculty who are recognized experts in their fields. Mentors are chosen based on proven ongoing quality and productivity of their research programs, significant extramural support, and availability and commitment to serve as mentors. The mentors are amongst the leaders of Yale research and belong to research spheres identified as important in respiratory disease processes including: Translational Research, Genetics and Genomics, Computational Biology and Informatics, Immunology and Inflammation, Cellular and Molecular Physiology and Biology, Pathology, Stem Cell Biology and Repair, Vascular Biology, Host-Pathogen Interactions and Dysbiosis, Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Clinical Research and Implementation Science. Because of the wide spectrum of outstanding laboratories at Yale, the institutional nature of this proposal, and the significant growth in the research funding and productivity at the section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Yale, 10 positions are requested per year. The program will be a minimum of 2 years. Trainee progress will be carefully evaluated and productivity monitored by each mentor, a Research Advisory Committee, and the Program Directors. The uniqueness of this program stems from a) the truly institutional nature of this grant involving 5 Schools at Yale, 9 clinical departments and 8 basic science departments; b) the strong interactions that exist between the clinical and basic science faculty on this program; and c) the training track record of the mentors.
/ RELEVANCE Disorders of the respiratory tract continue to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality, affecting tens of millions of people. Effective treatments are lacking or suboptimal due to our lack of understanding of the disease pathogenesis and a pool of scientists too small to meet the research needs. This grant will prepare MD and PhD scientists with superior training in areas relevant to lung biology and lung disease and equip them to be leaders in their selected field of research.
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