The objective of this proposal is to establish a Women s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Scholars program which will enhance research skills and expertise in academic obstetrics and gynecology. The obstetrician/gynecologists who become WRHR scholars will gain the investigative expertise to become competitive and successful in scientific careers in academic medicine. The program will identify, recruit and train WRHR scholars in a three to five year program individually tailored to level of expertise at entry. Training will be primarily provided by a close mentorship in the laboratory of a senior scientist with a proven track record of training, complemented by graduate level coursework in molecular biology. A clinical science mentor will ensure the relevance of the scholar s research direction to a clinical problem and to translational research activities. Specifically the program will: 1. Identify and select promising obstetrician/gynecologists as WRHR scholars. 2. Establish a mechanism for defining the length and depth of training and evaluating progress. 3. Provide in-depth didactic coursework and a mentored laboratory experience in molecular medicine. 4. Provide theoretical and practical experience in applying for extramural funds for transition to independence. 5. Provide an environment in which each scholar can become an independent investigator. A core facility in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology will support the use of molecular biology, immunologic and imaging techniques within the scientific programs of the fellows and further provide a resource of the transition of the scholars into independent investigators. Every scholar will be expected to take courses in biostatistics and the responsible conduct of research. The program will be administered on a day-to-day basis by a program director assisted by an executive committee comprised of six of the scientific mentors. An advisory committee with five internal members and two external members who are scientists of national repute will convene annually to review the scholars progress. Support for the program is provided by both the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The primary emphasis of the scholars program is to enhance the basic research skills and expertise of the scholars and familiarize them with modern molecular biology techniques and principles which they can subsequently apply to a clinical problem in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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