The overall objective of this proposal is to continue our aging-related research training efforts on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC-AMC) and the University of Colorado-Boulder Campus (UC-B), and add the new Eastern Colorado (Denver) Health Care System VA (ECHCS) as an important new training program site. Throughout the next 5 years of this renewed training grant we will continue to focus on the ?Integrative Physiology of Aging.? The major participating programs will be the Division of Geriatric Medicine (DGM) at UC-AMC, the Department of Integrative Physiology (IPHY) at UC-B and the newly funded Eastern Colorado (Denver) VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC). Of the 55+ training grants at the University of Colorado, this is the only one specifically dedicated to aging-related issues. The recently funded small (2 slots) Palliative Care T32, is not specifically focused on aging of physiology. Based on our exceptional success during the past 15 years of funding, and our projected higher numbers of faculty and trainee applicants, we are requesting to continue 5 pre- and 5 post-doctoral trainees each year. The specific objectives of this T32 training program are to: 1) continue to expand the cohort of faculty mentors interested in aging research; 2) recruit, select, support and retain outstanding pre- and postdoctoral trainees; 3) support research training through a combination of exceptional experiential and didactic instruction; 4) ensure academic success through the meticulous monitoring of a well constructed career development plan (CDP); 5) enhance the academic achievement of trainees through preparation in the team science and leadership skills; 6) augment the mentoring skills of our ?Secondary Mentors? through co-mentoring with a ?Primary Mentor.? Our objectives will be carried out by offering: 1) up to 2 years of research training support (with the second year being dependent upon successful progress); 2) dual mentoring by outstanding primary and secondary mentors; 3) a wide variety of relevant classroom/research experiences; 4) frequent and careful review of trainee progress/success; 5) a new formalized evaluation program to appraise the program goals, strength and weaknesses; and 6) a mandatory skills program for trainees and secondary (junior) mentors concentrating on team science; and 7) sound financial and administrative oversight. Our previous success has been exemplified by our ability to: 1) fill our all of our allotted positions with outstanding trainees, with an average of ~2.5 carefully screened applicants for each position; 2) produce academically successful and productive trainees; 3) build a pipeline of mentors by transitioning trainees to secondary mentors and secondary mentors to primary mentors; and 4) expand aging-research across our campuses through ongoing collaboration among participating faculty.
This Integrative Physiology of Aging T32 will train the next generation of clinicians and physiologists to better understand and investigate the specific needs/concerns of an aging population. This T32 emphasizes: 1) co- mentoring of trainees by Primary and Secondary mentors; 2) carefully constructed career development plans; and 3) exposure to leadership and ?team training? skills to maximize future scientific impact.
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