The Oregon Students Learn and Experience Research (OSLER) TL1 program is created to train transdisciplinary clinical and translational researchers. To maximize a transdisciplinary environment, we will provide training in clinical and translational science to graduate PhD students (basic science, behavioral, social science) as well as MD and DMD students. We will build upon our successful TL1 program by recruiting PhD students from OHSU basic science programs, as well as from Portland State University, University of Oregon, and Oregon State University. Graduate students will participate after satisfactorily completing their qualifying exam; MD and DMD students will most likely participate between their third and fourth year of medical or dental school. Graduate and professional students will design an individual plan for this fellowship that is specific to career plans as well as to their proposed research. MD and DMD students will enroll in the Master of Clinical Research (MCR) program and will complete all requirements for the degree within the training period. This didactic program is specifically constructed around the ?case? of the trainee's mentored research; as trainees progress in the curriculum, they develop research skills through class exercises such as writing a research proposal and IRB form, designing the data management system, and calculating power and sample size. Graduate students will be encouraged to participate in the MCR, but at a minimum must complete competencies in quantitative methods, data management, and research leadership. All students will participate in the FOLIO curriculum, which is designed to provide practical skills of critical thinking, time management, team science, design science, and problem solving. TL1 trainees will also be trained in science communication and writing. Two key experiences will enhance the transdisciplinary training: a clinical and translational science journal club, and participation in the MD/PhD grant rounds. Through participating in common activities, students from different disciplines will gain an understanding of the benefits of team science and will enhance their ability to understand the clinical setting of their research. PhD students will be provided with enhancement experiences such as attending clinics and rounds with clinicians in their research focus. This program will create clinicians and scientists who will pursue careers in transdisciplinary clinical and translational science.
