Overview
Transforming the results of fundamental research into clinical practice cannot take place unless we entice talented high school and college students to pursue careers in biomedical research, then adequately prepare them to become young investigators who think, develop hypotheses and acquire the tools to advance medical therapies at the interface of clinical and laboratory sciences. This support has to be well structured and continue throughout their early careers. The ITM’s Training Cluster provides and integrates all high school, college, graduate and postgraduate training curricula and pipeline programs that promote clinical and translational science, across multiple departments, schools, clinical and research institutes, hospitals, and the Community. The Committee on Clinical and Translational Science is the UC academic unit responsible for graduate training in the ITM.
Our aim is to recruit, train, and empower both clinician and non-clinician scientists to participate more effectively in hypothesis-driven and translational research in a tightly structured and highly mentored training environment. Special attention is given to pipeline programs to encourage talented high school and college students toward careers in translational research. We also coordinate and facilitate training for researchers and research staff in their particular areas of expertise.
PhD/MS Training supported by the CTSA T32
For MD students or college grads who seek deep disciplinary expertise in a field germane to translational research, we offer a PhD/MS program in a disciplinary-interdisciplinary model, in which the PhD is in the discipline of deep concentration and the MS in Health Studies provides broad background required for clinical research; for MD students, the program results in awarding of MD/PhD/MS degrees. Training for the PhD/MS (or PhD/MS portion of the MD/PhD/MS) is supported by the CTSA T32, and draws on the 28 currently NIH- or Dept of Education-funded training programs in 11 different Departments of the BSD to provide a wide range of disciplinary PhD opportunities, from biological sciences to social sciences to physical sciences or engineering (at IIT). Three existing MD/PhD programs at UC provide excellent structure for MD/PhD/MS trainees. Several curricular areas of concentration are being developed by the Committee on Clinical and Translational Science.
Mentored Career Development supported by the CRTP and CTSA K12 NEW TRAINING OPPORTUNITY!
Our second mentored career development program is designed for physicians who have completed training in a sub-specialty of medicine, pediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, surgery in all of its branches, OB/GYN, etc., or for non-MD scientists who seek training for a career in clinical and translational research. The program combines our Clinical Research Training Program and our MS in Health Studies, and draws upon the over 60 currently funded K08, K23 and K24 faculty and the more than 80 former K awardees who serve as CTSA mentors. Clinical MD fellows or non-MD post-doctoral researchers enter a program of highly mentored training in clinical and translational research; depending upon the intensity of research interest and training path chosen, these Scholars can receive the MS in Health Studies with support through the postdoctoral NRSA fellowships then the CTSA CTRP or K12 programs. In all, seven years of nurturing research training are envisioned, with full participation as an independent member of a clinical/translational research team and successful competition for independent funding held as the clearcut goals.
Training Cluster Leadership. The ITM Training Cluster is led by Dr. Joe G.N. “Skip” Garcia, Dr. Funmi Olopade, Dr. David Meltzer, and Dr. Eric Beyer. Dr. Dorothy Hanck (recipient of UC’s highest undergraduate teaching award) oversees incorporation of relevant coursework into the undergraduate curriculum at UC and IIT as well as the pipeline programs. Drs. Ronald Thisted, Fred Coe, and George Bakris lead the Clinical Research Training Program. Dr. Funmi Olopade leads the CTSA K12 program, and Dr. David Melter leads the CTSA T32 program.