The University of Michigan is an ideal institution for the Multidisciplinary Clinical Researchers in TrainingProgram (MCRiT). MCRiT will: 1) customize existing research infrastructure to the needs of predoctoraltrainees; 2) provide a mandatory short course that will expose students to clinical research early in theircourse of study; 3) provide an innovative summer research experience with practical and didacticcomponents; 3) provide a rigorous yet flexible curriculum leading to either a Certificate or Masters of Sciencein Clinical Research and providing thorough training in protection of Human Subjects and the responsibleconduct of research; 4) establish a faculty core to provide resources, training, and evaluation for the mentorpool; 5) implement an administration and evaluation program that will allow continuous improvement; and 6)recruit an excellent and diverse cohort of Trainees. MCRiT will draw on existing institutional strengths,including: 1) highly ranked graduate programs in all health sciences, consistently achieving top-five nationalstandings in federal research funding; 2) strong existing K-30 and K-12 programs for post-doctoralcandidates; 3) a School of Public Health offering nationally-recognized didactic training in clinical research;4) a unique Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research (CACR), which provides infrastructure andsupport for multidisciplinary clinical research, including an established multidisciplinary educational program;5) one of the largest and most active General Clinical Research Centers in the nation; 6) a large state andinstitutional investment in biomedical research; and 7) close proximity to the Ann Arbor Laboratories ofPfizer, Inc. The proposed program will draw faculty, mentors and Scholars from the Schools of Medicine,Nursing, and Dentistry, and will provide opportunities for collaboration within the Schools of Public Health,Engineering, Kinesiology, Pharmacy, and Business. With permission from NIH, trainees from these schoolswill be eligible for the program. CACR will provide all trainees with a dedicated research environment andexperienced research support. Collaboration with the Office for Diversity and Career Development willpromote a diverse cohort. Many program elements, including archiving and webcasting of the Trainees' corecurriculum, will benefit the entire clinical research community. By training the next generation of clinicalresearchers, MCRiT will ultimately support research crucial to maintaining and improving the public's health.
