Society will be unable to take complete advantage of the rapid and dramatic advances being made in the biomedical sciences unless a critical mass of clinician scientists can be generated. In this renewal application, funds are requested to continue (years 12-16) support for the Oral Cellular and Molecular Biology training program. This program has been highly successful in recruiting, training and retaining Oral Science researchers. Substantial institutional resources have recently been committed to recruit new external faculty, to improve our physical plant, and to acquire new technologies. This markedly enhanced research environment provides our trainees with the depth and breadth of training necessary to excel in the biomedical sciences. The University of Rochester is a research-intensive institution with a long history and commitment to training graduate dentists. The overall goal of our training program is to provide enhanced training opportunities for dentists and oral biologists that will enable them to pursue research careers in dentistry and medicine at academic, federal and industrial organizations. Long-term and short-term cross-disciplinary training, for dental students through junior faculty, will focus on cellular and molecular biology with an emphasis on understanding the mechanisms that underlie the development, function and repair of oral tissues as well as the associated clinical manifestations of oral disease. The long-term component of this program is targeted to the recruitment of dentists who wish to pursue a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D., dentist-Ph.D.s who want to engage in post-doctoral level training in cell and molecular biology and dental students who wish to interrupt their clinical studies to pursue full-time, Ph.D. research studies. We will also recruit Ph.D.s and baccalaureate degree-holders pursuing a Ph.D. In this manner, Ph.D. level scientists can be exposed and ultimately recruited to the field of Oral Science. The short-term component of the program will include dentists at various stages of career development to encourage life-long learning, research career transition, and the development of skills necessary to form collaborations. Trainees in the Oral Cellular and Molecular Biology training program are expected to be highly prepared to pursue careers in Oral Science research.
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