This Training Program in Geriatrics and Gerontology seeks to produce independent academic investigators in clinical and health services research, whose focus is improving function in older adults. The program will accept 2 postdoctoral fellows per year, so that at a steady state, 4 fellows would be participating. They will be recruited primarily from the geriatrics fellowship based at Monroe Community Hospital, but will also be accepted from the Departments of Community and Preventive Medicine and of Psychiatry, as well as the School of Nursing's Center for Clinical Research on Aging. They will participate in a 3-part training program over a two-year period. The 3 components are: 1) a mentored research experience;2) a series of 7 didactic courses aimed at acquiring the knowledge necessary for conducting clinical research, including biostatistics, epidemiology, and design of clinical trials;and 3) a series of workshops to build research skills, including research ethics, scientific communication, medical informatics, and grant writing. The latter two components of this training plan will utilize the Rochester Clinical Research Curriculum, a highly successful program developed through an NIH K30 award to train clinical researchers. Mentors will be chosen from 5 research """"""""clusters"""""""": cardiology, geriatric health services, neuropsychiatry, oncology, and infectious diseases. In addition to a Primary Research Mentor, fellows will work with one or more Geriatrics / Gerontology Faculty Advisors, so that they will have a mentorial panel that can provide an optimal training experience.
