This proposal is for competitive renewal of a Training Grant in Gastrointestinal Surgery, which the University of California, San Francisco has held since 1988. The intent of the Program is to train surgical residents in areas of gastrointestinal research that will be highly relevant for academic surgery, and to thereby stem the tide of decline of high-quality scientific research in surgery and of the number of young surgeons selecting a career in academic surgery. The faculty of the Program is outstanding, well-funded and with enviable history of training young investigators. The Faculty is derived from basic science (Physiology, Anatomy) and clinical (Medicine, Pathology, Surgery, Psychiatry) departments. The Program has access to unparalleled research facilities and to immense intellectual resources. The major theme of the Program is to offer a wide range of opportunities for rigorous research training in basic sciences with careful supervision by an outstanding faculty. The emphasis is on areas of great importance for surgery, namely neuronal and hormonal control of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas in health and disease states. Trainees will have no clinical responsibilities, will have opportunities to enroll in structured didactic courses in biostatistics, experimental design, scientific writing, the art of lecturing, molecular and cell biology and immunology. Applicants will have received the MD degree and will have completed 2-6 years of clinical General Surgery training. Trainees will be recruited nationally. Selection is based on previous scholarship, demonstrated clinical abilities, observed potential, and intent to become serious, productive academicians. A minimum of two and a maximum of three years of rigorous, supervised research training will be provided. To date, a total of 27 trainees have completed or are participating in the Program. They include 14 men and 13 women, 3 of Hispanic origin and 5 African Americans. Those that have completed the 2-3 years of training have had excellent research experience, and have been productive in terms of presentations at national and international scientific meetings and in publications in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals. Many have selected careers in Academic Surgery, with 12 holding university positions of assistant professor or higher and two departmental chairs.
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