This is a competing renewal application for a T35 summer medical student training program in endocrine research that has been funded by NIDDK for 10 years. The 2 Specific Aims are 1) To provide hands-on training in basic and clinical Endocrine-based research to medical students in a structured mentored environment. 2) To provide an interactive, educational experience that introduces medical students the fundamental skills necessary for basic, translational, and clinical Endocrine-based research. The program has supported the training of 6-7 second year medical students each summer in endocrine research topics including diabetes - with a particular focus on diabetic kidney disease, endocrine malignancies, pituitary regulation of peptide hormone expression, LHR in brain, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hormonal regulation of metabolism. Trainees are selected from the first year class at University of Louisville School of Medicine (SOM) applying for the summer research scholar program (SRSP). A successful effort has been made to recruit students from ethnic minorities and disadvantaged backgrounds. Students review the available projects submitted by 22 faculty research mentors and enter their 1st-3rd choices, allowing matching of trainees with mentors. In-person meetings between trainees and mentors assures the 'fit' in the middle of the Spring semester. During the 10 week summer training, students work with mentors on research projects in clinical or laboratory settings, complete training in the Responsible Conduct of Research, including managing scientific data, fabrication and falsification of data, plagiarism, publication practices and responsible authorship, mentorship, stewardship, and conflict of interest. Trainees working with human subjects complete human subject and IRB training. Trainees who use vertebrate animals in their research complete animal training courses and successfully pass tests to be certified. All trainees attend a weekly Endocrine Seminar designed to introduce clinical/translational research in endocrinology as led by mentors in this T35 program which culminates with each trainee presenting his/her research project to peers and mentors. Trainees also present the results of their research as posters with peers at a SOM-wide, week-long celebration of research that includes nationally recognized physician scientists as keynote speakers. Winners from the poster contest have the opportunity to attend the National Student Research Forum the following Spring. Trainees may choose to continue research as part of the Distinction in Research (DIR) track enrichment program that provides research experiences throughout the medical school curriculum, including in the third and fourth years, toward the goal of developing clinician-researchers. Trainees have published their research in peer-reviewed journals and outcomes of trainees are being tracked to assess the impact of this T35 program on careers as physician- scientists.
Understanding the aberrant hormonal and genetic regulation of cellular homeostasis is the key to unraveling chronic disease and to the development of new treatment strategies. The major goal of this project is to provide medical students who have completed at least one year of medical school with a hands-on summer research experience in NIDDK-focused research on endocrine-related health concerns to stimulate their interest in a research career.
