This application is part of a combined application for training of pediatric endocrinology fellows and junior pediatric endocrinology faculty. This training program is designed to provide multidisciplinary training in diabetes research at The Barbara Davis Center (BDC) and The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC).This proposal's rationale is: 1) there is a critical shortage of pediatric endocrinologists in the country, particularly those trained and experienced in diabetes research 2) Diabetes is an increasingly significant healthcare problem in the pediatric population with devastating consequences from a personal and health economic point of view into the future. 3) Current rapid advances in diabetes investigation calls for an increased pool of physician scientists trained in clinical, biochemical, epidemiological, and behavioral research to carry out translation research in pediatric type 1 and type 2 diabetes to bring advances in diabetes research to the clinical arena. The Barbara Davis Center has extensive and a proven record in research training of young investigators. The BDC and UCHSC have a well established network of investigators working in the immunobiology, genetics, and molecular biology of type 1 diabetes, as well as the abnormal pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes. This network of experienced mentors is ideally suited to develop the next generation of young pediatric endocrinologists into independent diabetes investigators. Areas of research focus within The Barbara Davis Center include islet cell physiology, genetics, molecular biology, transplant immunology, and the autoimmunity, prediction and prevention of type 1 diabetes, and the epidemiology, prevention and treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This application is enhanced by the NIH supported Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center, well established, NIH supported Pediatric and Adult Clinical Research Centers, and a Clinical Nutrition Research Unit, an NIH supported K30 Clinical Research Curriculum Award, as well as a strong Masters of Science in Public Health Program. This application has the support of the Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, Preventive Medicine and The Children's Hospital of Denver. The ability to provide strong didactic coursework in statistics, epidemiology, research methods, ethics and regulation of human research, medical writing, biochemistry, pharmacokinetics and molecular biology, as well as human medical genetics and molecular genetics through the Program in Clinical Science, combined with a strong mentoring faculty at the BDC and UCHSC will allow us to provide the continuous training and development of young pediatric endocrinologists through their training and development into independent investigators, capable of being competitive for independent research funding and research activity. Other programs within UCHSC which will be supportive of this program include the Program in Human Genetics, The Immune Tolerance Network and the Autoimmune Prevention Center.
