The objective of this proposal is to establish a new post-doctoral Pulmonary Sciences Research Training Program at Emory University School of Medicine. The training will be provided by a team of investigators with experience in teaching and mentoring who are members or associates of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine at Emory. The proposed training program will establish opportunities for trainees to engage in cutting edge research involving clinical investigation or basic science research designed to elucidate the clinical, epidemiologic, cellular, biochemical and genetic events elicited in the lung by acute and chronic forms of injury, the mechanisms that lead to repair or dysrepair, and the identification of novel pathways of lung regeneration. The program will be centered in the Emory Pulmonary Division that has recently experienced tremendous growth fueled by the naming of a new division director, an increase in the number of faculty to 35 with the recruitment of outstanding MD and PhD scientists, the funding of The McKelvey Lung Transplantation Center and a new NIAAA-funded multi-investigator center grant, and the acquisition of new research space. For the past decade, members of the proposed training program have collaborated to provide a strong research experience for trainees and to foster careers in academia. The newly proposed program will emphasize a multidisciplinary approach to research, the integration of basic science with specialized translational/clinical research, excellence in mentorship, and didactic training in research and topics related to academia, and will provide attention to minority recruitment. The 15 mentors of this program will provide a broad-based multidisciplinary training environment. Participating faculty include members from the Departments of Medicine (Pulmonary and Cardiology Divisions), Pediatrics, Biochemistry, Human Genetics, Surgery, and Physiology. All have an established funding and publication record as well as documented success in training. The trainees will have the opportunity to engage in a 2-year training program that includes 3 pathways: the physician-scientist pathway with emphasis on clinical/translational research, the physician-scientist pathway with emphasis on basic science, and the post-doctoral basic science pathway for PhD trainees. After the end of their 2-year experience, the trainees will be provided the opportunity to remain in academia for a 6-month period where salary and 75% protected time is provided to continue research, and opportunities are made available to remain at Emory or pursue careers at other academic institutions. The goals of the program are to develop scientists with particular expertise in either clinical/translational investigation or basic science research who are committed to careers in academic medicine, and who have the competencies and breadth of expertise necessary for functioning as independent investigators.
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