Training Program in Trauma and Organ Injury

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Traumatic injury continues to be a major public health problem that impacts enormously on individuals and society. An essential component of the trauma health care system is basic and clinical research. However, future advancements in trauma research are likely to be hindered because of the continued decline in the number of well-trained physician-scientists. This is the first competing renewal of a postdoctoral training program in Trauma Biology and Organ Injury. The Training Program is designed primarily for surgical residents (PGY-III and IV) to provide them with an intensive two (or three)-year period of research focused on the mechanisms responsible for the cellular dysfunction and multiorgan failure associated with injury. It will complement the ongoing trauma research programs already present in the Departments of Surgery, and Cellular and Molecular Physiology. The goal of the training program is to provide highly qualified, motivated individuals with an in-depth knowledge base and intensive laboratory experience that will facilitate a successful, productive independent career in academic trauma research. The specific aims of the training program are to: (1) provide comprehensive scientific training focused in one of two major disciplines--Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Organ Injury and Tissue Repair;and (2) provide a strong training foundation in all aspects of the investigative process. The administrative structure of the program is coordinated by the Program Director (Wiley Souba, MD) and Associate Director (Charles Lang, PhD). Each trainee selects co-mentors (e.g., one clinician-scientist and one basic scientist) from an interdisciplinary cadre of established investigators within the Departments of Surgery, Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, and Pharmacology which are responsible for directing and evaluating the trainee's progress. Trainees will receive direct supervision regarding all aspects of hypothesis-driven experimental design, technical expertise, and scientific writing as well as participate in the required course on ethical conduct in research. Program graduates will be clinician-scientists who possess sufficient scientific maturity to embark on a career in independent research and make significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge concerning the pathophysiology of trauma.