This is an application for a new National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Training Grant (T32) for a Pediatric Urology Research Training Program at the Children's Hospital Boston. The grant will support the research component of our ongoing pediatric urology fellowship program, which, beginning July 2001 will complete a transition from a 2-year (1 year research + 1 year clinical) to a 3-year program (2 years research + 1 year clinical). The pediatric urology fellowship at Children's Hospital is one of the most competitive and highly regarded such programs in the world and, since its inception in 1979, has trained many of the leading academic pediatric urologists now practicing in the United States. The Urology Department at Children's Hospital is one the world's leading centers for pediatric urology and genitourinary reconstruction. During the research fellowship, the trainees will conduct laboratory-based molecular and cell biological studies on fundamental questions related to urogenital tract physiology and pathophysiology and on novel therapies for genital tract reconstruction based on emerging concepts in the new field of tissue engineering. The overall goals of the training program will be: (1) to enhance the fellows' understanding of basic mechanisms of cell physiology and the molecular basis of disease; (2) to train them in state-of-the-art, hypothesis-driven research methodology; and (3) to provide sufficient time and guidance for a mature postdoctoral experience in basic studies relevant to the fellows' future clinical practice. We believe the fellowship will significantly enhance our graduates' training experience and will thereby allow these individuals to establish their own, competitive programs of scholarship and research during their careers as academic pediatric urologists. These clinician-scientists will then likely contribute substantially to understanding the genitourinary system in fundamental terms and will be fully prepared to translate basic research findings into clinical applications.
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