This resubmission application seeks to renew support for a training program that prepares highly qualified pediatricians to assume leadership positions as investigators in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Based in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Boston Children's Hospital, the program takes advantage of the rich academic and research resources of Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, and affiliated teaching hospitals to bring together outstanding didactic experiences and research opportunities relevant to infectious diseases of children. Support for four positions per year is requested. Pediatricians enter the program for a minimum of three years of integrated clinical and research training that includes at least two years of supervised research under the mentorship of a member of the teaching faculty. Research training of pediatricians is fully integrated with that of PhD postdoctoral trainees in the laboratories of the teaching faculty. The 31 members of the teaching faculty are accomplished investigators and experienced mentors chosen from the Division of Infectious Diseases at Boston Children's Hospital and affiliated units at other Harvard institutions. Under the guidance of the research mentor and the Program Steering Committee, an individualized curriculum is designed for each trainee in one of three broad areas of investigation: microbial pathogenesis, host response and vaccines, or epidemiology and health outcomes. Trainees in the epidemiology and health outcomes pathway have the opportunity to earn a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health as an integral part of the training program. Trainees in the other pathways also receive training in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical trial design, and analytic methods. All trainees have seminars and tutorials in grant preparation and scientific writing that supplement the mentored research experience. An individual Scholarship Oversight Committee is appointed for each trainee to monitor progress and to provide career guidance. During the second or third year, trainees are expected to present their work at national meetings, to prepare one or more manuscripts for publication, and, in most cases, to apply for a K08, K23, or other career development award to support the transition to independence as an investigator. During the initial five years of this training grant, 11 pediatrician trainees and 4 PhD postdoctoral fellows have been supported by the grant. Of the 13 fellowship program graduates during this period, 12 have academic faculty or government research appointments. Six have received competitive individual fellowship and/or grant awards including 5 K08 or K23 awards, 2 R21, 1 R03, and a New Innovator award from NIH.

Public Health Relevance

The goal of the training program is to train pediatricians for careers as researchers who will address the present and future challenges of childhood infections. Well-trained investigators in Pediatric Infectious Diseases are urgently needed to meet the ongoing and emerging threats to child health of congenital HIV infection, childhood malaria and tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, and respiratory infections-critical problems that are further complicated by increasing antimicrobial resistance and societal opposition to childhood vaccines.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32HD055148-08
Application #
9057596
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHD1)
Program Officer
Russo, Denise
Project Start
2007-07-01
Project End
2019-04-30
Budget Start
2016-05-01
Budget End
2017-04-30
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Children's Hospital Boston
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
Brennan-Krohn, Thea; Pironti, Alejandro; Kirby, James E (2018) Synergistic Activity of Colistin-Containing Combinations against Colistin-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 62:
Brennan-Krohn, Thea; Yoon, Edward; Nishino, Michiya et al. (2018) Arthroconidia in lung tissue: an unusual histopathological finding in pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. Hum Pathol 71:55-59
Rohlfing, Amy E; Ramsey, Kathryn M; Dove, Simon L (2018) Polyphosphate Kinase Antagonizes Virulence Gene Expression in Francisella tularensis. J Bacteriol 200:
Ramirez-Avila, Lynn; Regan, Susan; Cloete, Christie et al. (2017) Adolescent Linkage to Care After a Large-scale Transfer From a Hospital-based HIV Clinic to the Public Sector in South Africa. Pediatr Infect Dis J 36:311-313
Brennan-Krohn, Thea; Truelson, Katherine A; Smith, Kenneth P et al. (2017) Screening for synergistic activity of antimicrobial combinations against carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae using inkjet printer-based technology. J Antimicrob Chemother 72:2775-2781
Blomqvist, Karin; DiPetrillo, Christen; Streva, Vincent A et al. (2017) Receptor for Activated C-Kinase 1 (PfRACK1) is required for Plasmodium falciparum intra-erythrocytic proliferation. Mol Biochem Parasitol 211:62-66
Mehrotra, Preeti; Jang, Jisun; Gidengil, Courtney et al. (2017) Attributable Cost of Clostridium difficile Infection in Pediatric Patients. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 38:1472-1477
Brennan-Krohn, Thea; Smith, Kenneth P; Kirby, James E (2017) The Poisoned Well: Enhancing the Predictive Value of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing in the Era of Multidrug Resistance. J Clin Microbiol 55:2304-2308
Smith, Kenneth P; Richmond, David L; Brennan-Krohn, Thea et al. (2017) Development of MAST: A Microscopy-Based Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Platform. SLAS Technol 22:662-674
Robbins, Jonathan A; Absalon, Sabrina; Streva, Vincent A et al. (2017) The Malaria Parasite Cyclin H Homolog PfCyc1 Is Required for Efficient Cytokinesis in Blood-Stage Plasmodium falciparum. MBio 8:

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