This revised application for a training grant outlines the educational and training facilities in the Department of Biochemistry. Through its close interaction with members of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Section of Rheumatology and the renewal of the sole NIH-SCOR grant in osteoarthritis, a significant segment of the faculty is dedicated to basic researching the field of connective tissue and cartilage biochemistry, as it relates to arthritic conditions, especially osteoarthritis (OA). This has led to a major commitment to training predoctorate (Ph.D.) candidates and postdoctorate fellows, who carry out under the guidance of a faculty member research in this and other medically relevant areas. In the rebuttal to the review of the original application, it is pointed out that the Ph.D. training program combines a standard regimen of coursework in basic biochemistry with emphasis on medical relevance, as well as specialized courses in connective tissue (cartilage) biochemistry. Since the initiation of the Ph.D. program in 1984, 26 candidates have received their Ph.D. degrees; 12 of them presented their dissertation in the field of connective tissue (cartilage) biochemistry. The current 26 Ph.D. students actively participate in weekly departmental workshops and interact with nationally and internationally recognized experts in cartilage research, who are invited bi-monthly to the Department. (8 of them have not chosen their advisors yet; among the remaining, 14 have selected a Ph.D.-advisor from the faculty involved in connective tissue/cartilage research). Through this redrafted application, financial support is sought for three students per year for 5 years (equal 43 student-years). The training program for postdoctorate fellows has a select focus on cartilage biochemistry and osteoarthritis based on an assignment by the World Health Organization. It has provided training for 44 postdoctorate fellows from around the globe. Currently 10 fellows are working in the Department (about 50% of past or current fellows hold the M.D. degree). Each postdoctorate fellow is assigned to a faculty member, but broader education is facilitated through the weekly workshops, formal seminars, interactive discussions with visiting scientists and informal discussion groups. The postdoctorate training program enables the fellows to become active members of an investigative team, to learn the design of individual research strategies, to expand their professional goals, to monitor and teach graduate and medical school classes and to develop their writing skills from publications and grants. It allows them, as they enter the scientific work force, to make meaningful contributions to cartilage biochemistry. For the next five years, financial support is sought to pay for two postdoctorate fellowships per year (equal 10 fellowship-years). This training program is unique in preparing, side by side, graduate students and postdoctorate fellows for research careers. This new NIH Training Grant will enable the training program to focus on musculoskeletal investigations, especially cartilage biochemistry and the etiopathology of OA.
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