This competitive renewal application for T32 DK067872, Research Training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, submitted on behalf of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) requests 5 years of support for 3 predoctoral and 4 postdoctoral (MD, PhD, MD/PhD) trainees. Program goals are to seek and prepare talented trainees for research and/or leadership careers in academia, government, or industry by offering an integrated, inter- disciplinary curriculum that emphasizes basic or clinical & translational science training in one of three major substantive areas: (1) gastrointestinal mucosal biology & signaling, (2) gut microbiome, immunology & genetics, and (3) hepatobiliary disorders. UMB entities represented by faculty mentors with robust federal funding portfolios cut across schools, departments, and organized research centers and institutes to include the Schools of Medicine (Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Epidemiology & Public Health, Microbiology & Immunology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) and Pharmacy (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences), the Center for Vaccine Development & Global Health, and the Institute for Genome Sciences. Comprehensive training opportunities allow predoctoral trainees to obtain PhD or MD/PhD degrees and postdoctoral trainees to earn MS, MPH or PhD degrees. Under the supervision of expert mentors, this training program is designed to enable trainees to develop hypotheses, design and perform basic or clinical research to test these hypotheses, become expert in at least one substantive area relevant to digestive or liver diseases, develop oral and written presentation skills, master the principles of responsible conduct of research, and prepare for transition to careers focused on the study of the biology and pathobiology of the GI tract and hepatobiliary system. Basic and clinical & translational science training in three focus areas (GI Mucosal Biology & Signaling; Gut Microbiome, Immunology & Genetics; Hepatobiliary Disorders), is directed by accomplished, highly productive experienced mentors who interact both within and amongst research tracks. Since its inception in 2005, this T32 program has been highly successful; all training slots were consistently filled, trainee retention was 100%, and productivity as measured by publications, awarding of advanced degrees, and career outcomes has been exceptional. All predoctoral trainees who completed training qualified for the PhD degree and nearly all MD postdoctoral trainees either have or will be awarded advanced degrees (MS, MPH, or PhD). This T32 program remains extraordinarily diverse, fulfilling a societal need to redress underrepresentation in biomedical research and academia; two-thirds of our trainees are women and one-fifth are Latino or African American. Former trainees obtained academic faculty appointments or perform research for federal agencies (NIH and FDA) or industry, competed successfully for federal funding, and attained leadership positions in academia. Notably, by attracting talented trainees and investigators from other disciplines to basic and patient-centered digestive diseases and liver research, this T32 program adds great value to the UMB clinical, educational and scientific community.
Increasing competition for scarce research dollars and other hardships facing those in academic medicine, as well as the lure of private practice, discourage trainees from careers in digestive diseases-related research. The overall goal of this T32 training program is to seek, nurture and mentor talented pre- and postdoctoral trainees committed to research or leadership positions in academia, federal agencies or industry, and provide them with successful role models and the tools needed to persevere and succeed in this harsh environment. To accomplish these goals, our multidisciplinary faculty offers an integrated, individualized curriculum for training in basic or clinical & translational digestive diseases-related science in a diverse and resource-rich research environment with strong institutional support.
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