Multidisciplinary Research Training in Pulmonary Medicine

Description (provided by applicant): This proposal describes our research training program in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University. In this program, we offer state of the art, multidisciplinary research training in a wide range of disciplines including cell and molecular biology, whole organ pathophysiology, and both human based research and epidemiological research. Six post-doctoral fellows (primarily MD pulmonary fellows) and two graduate students will be offered funding for two years of research training each. Research will be supplemented by trainee participation in program wide research seminars and journal clubs. It is our belief that such program wide meetings and interactions are vital to providing young scientists with a broad perspective on research outside their own projects, avoiding early overspecialization and an inappropriately narrow research focus. Course work is also offered, and includes a mandatory course in Responsible Conduct of Research, as well as a wide range of courses appropriate to trainees embarking on a research career. These include statisics, experimental design, grant writing, manuscript writing, public speaking, and epidemiological methods, and are offered both in our graduate programs and in our Human Investigations Program. Research mentorship is provided by a faculty of seasoned scientists with extensive experience in training young scientists. About half the faculty conducts research primarily or principally involving the lung. The remainder have specific areas of expertise in cell and molecular biology that have either been applied to the study of lung disease or are easily applicable to it. Interactions and synergy among the laboratories in this program add to the rich and broad training environment. A well established system for regularly tracking the progress of trainees ensures their continued development, and broadens the sources of guidance and advice in this crucial stage of their careers. This approach will produce clinical and basic researchers prepared for the challenges of academic medicine and biomedical research, and will help fill the need in the next generation of scientists. These scientists will be prepared to address the public health issues raised by the increasing burden of asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and other lung diseases.