Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM) has developed three graduate degree programs in patient oriented research over the past decade: Epidemiology, Health Services Research, and Molecular Medicine. It now is establishing a Program for Education in Patient Oriented Research (PEPOR) to better address the critical need for training clinical investigators. This proposal seeks support for the administrative element of the PEPOR from the National Institutes Health's Clinical Research Curriculum Award.. The objective of the WFUSM PEPOR is to integrate existing elements of education in clinical research into a unified and synergistic structure that will confer Masters degrees in one of three areas of patient-oriented research: Epidemiology, Health Services Research, or Molecular Medicine. Participants will enter the two year PEPOR from: 1) Existing Centers and Programs of Excellence, 2) NIH training grants in Cancer Education, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, and Pathobiology of Vascular Diseases, and; 3) Clinical departments and their residency programs. A new program at WFUSM to fund Centers of Excellence will provide a source of financial support for participants of the PEPOR who are located in the Centers. Core elements of the PEPOR will include an Administrative Core with a Program Director, three Associate Program Directors, an Assistant Director as head of an Oversight Committee, an Advisory Committee, and a Core Curriculum that commonly serves the three Masters Programs. Core education will include instruction in the responsible conduct of research, scientific methodologies, data analysis, grantsmanship, statistical computing and computer applications to research, publication and communication. More differentiated formal educational activities will be available to participants seeking the specific masters degrees. A highly qualified full time and associate faculty has been appointed. The PEPOR will employ novel """"""""buddy"""""""" program and mentorship elements. The General Clinical Research Center, the Department of Public Health Sciences, and outreach activities within the community will provide facilities for research projects. A Clinical Trials Office recently established at the WFUSM will complement the program. Highly varied opportunities will exist for conducting clinical research. Effectiveness of the PEPOR will be monitored by conferment of the masters degrees, publication in peer-reviewed journals, procurement of peer-reviewed funding, and establishing a faculty appointment that predominantly involves patient oriented research. The PEPOR of WFUSM will meet the challenge of training talented clinical investigators.
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