This application is for a competitive renewal of the Training Program in Investigative and Molecular Dermatology that was established in 1991 in the Department of Dermatology at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC). This program has the full support of CWRU, UHC, and the research arm of UHC, Research Institute of University Hospitals (UHRI), as evidenced by UHRIs and CWRUs institutional support for this training program, if funded. The major objective of this program is to continue to prepare highly qualified young investigators for careers in biomedical research relevant to the skin. This is accomplished by providing opportunities for state of the art interdisciplinary research training in investigative dermatology and cutaneous biology. Eligible candidates will be those holding M.D./or M.D./Ph.D. or Ph.D.s with up to two years of postdoctoral experience, both with a definite commitment to an academic career in investigative dermatology or basic cutaneous biology. Individualized career building programs are developed for trainees in one of four research thematic research areas, each of which is related to the physiology and pathology of the skin: immunobiology and experimental immunopathology, cellular and molecular biology, photomedicine and translational research, and skin pharmacology/carcinogenesis. Each fellow selects one of these four training tracks, each of which is coordinated by the Director and Co Director and participating faculty members. Thus, each trainee obtains training by his/her advisor, a co mentor, and a focused group of experts. Each primary advisor has an active federally funded, investigator initiated peer reviewed program on which they are P.I. Those falling shorts of this criterion, but are active and independent in the research program serve as co advisors. Through this focused, yet interactive mechanism, the trainees are provided guidance in building hypotheses for scientifically approaching problems in cutaneous biology, in the design and performance of a coherent set of experiments, and in gaining experience with modem research methodology and technology. Formal training is also provided in the ethical conduct of being a scientist and analysis of data for publication of results. In addition, the fellows participate in courses, workshops, symposia and data presentation exercises and are required to present their work at scientific meetings including the CWRU/UHC Skin Diseases Research Center lectureship and the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Thus, training occurs through participation in a focused research project and through conferences/seminars in which the basic science research, as well as the application of research to clinical problems are actively facilitated. This multidisciplinary Center based at CWRU and UHC/UHRI has created a foundation for cooperative interactions between basic science and clinical departments and provides a training milieu for young investigators contemplating a career in academic dermatology.
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