This new application seeks NICHD Continuing Education Training Program (T15) sponsorship for an innovative advanced program entitled 'Rehabilitative and Regenerative Medicine for Minority Health and Health Disparities ([RMH]2D) to train and mentor promising physician-scientists and other researchers from predominately underrepresented communities in sophisticated technologies in rehabilitation research. [RMH]2D (pronounced 'remedy') offers dynamic training that provides a fresh series of daily lecturers on emerging concepts, extended discussion, laboratory research, workshops and informal seminars over week-long periods, followed by an annual symposium dinner at a scientific meeting/congress. The primary aim is the development of an intense laboratory-based training for 16 newly independent investigators per year to educate them on regeneration research strategies for CNS and skeletal-muscular rehabilitation, and to help launch and sustain their careers. The courses are offered at Howard (years 1), Morehouse (year 2) and Meharry (year 3), under the overall directorship of Gerald Schatten, Ph.D., from Pittsburgh along with Howard's Provost James Wyche, Ph.D., Winston Thompson, Ph.D. from Morehouse and Ayman Al-Hendy, M.D., Ph.D. from Meharry. The four aims are to: I. Provide conceptual education and experimental training in the sophisticated methods focused on diseases prevalent in African-American communities;II. Foster candid and meaningful conversations among all course participants regarding current barriers to the recruitment and retention of the most talented researchers to achieve full diversification of NIH's research workforce;III. Educate participants on minority health disparities in research, the ethical, social and legal implications (ELSI), and the regulatory landscape in which [RMH]2D investigations occur, so that trainees may begin their own research programs in the most ethical and responsible manner and avoid needless pitfalls and delays;IV. Encourage and empower the course participants through the most fragile stages of their careers as well as monitor and track their achievements comprehensively and longitudinally to ensure that these precious funds can be demonstrated to be wise, cost-effective and fruitful investments. Overall, the purpose of this NICHD Continuing Education Training Program is to provide comprehensive and sophisticated training and state-of-the-art methods on bioengineering, cellular, molecular and genetic approaches for advancing the Frontiers in Rehabilitative and Regenerative Medicine for rectifying Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Discoveries in regenerative medicine are having major implications for both understanding the underlying causes of many disorders which send patients, especially those from under-represented groups, into rehabilitation, and breakthroughs with stem cells, tissue engineering and epigenetics hold bright promises for superior treatments, and perhaps even cures, for conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, stroke, mental illnesses, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, muscle wasting, and even the ravages of aging. This proposal seeks T15 sponsorship to offer annual NICHD Continuing Education Training Programs on Rehabilitative and Regenerative Medicine for Minority Health and Health Disparities ([RMH]2D): A Frontiers Advanced Training Course. These courses are to be offered at Howard University (year 1), the Morehouse School of Medicine (year 2) and Meharry Medical College (year 3), which are predominantly African-American Universities. The PIs are optimistic that this will greatly enhance the diversity of new scientists entering the fields of regenerative and rehabilitative research.
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| Thompson, Winston E; Pattillo, Roland A; Stiles, Jonathan K et al. (2014) Biomedical research's unpaid debt: NIH's initiative to support and implement fairer competition for minority students is a welcome step to redress the exploitation of African Americans by science. EMBO Rep 15:333-7 |
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| Easley 4th, Charles A; Phillips, Bart T; McGuire, Megan M et al. (2012) Direct differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into haploid spermatogenic cells. Cell Rep 2:440-6 |
