2020 — 2021 |
Williams, Christopher S. [⬀] |
T32Activity Code Description: To enable institutions to make National Research Service Awards to individuals selected by them for predoctoral and postdoctoral research training in specified shortage areas. |
Medical Scientist Training Program
This proposal requests continued support for the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The primary goal of the Vanderbilt MSTP is to identify, mentor, and foster the careers of a diverse workforce of superior future leaders in academic medicine who are dedicated to improving human health through research, clinical activities, and leadership. Our joint MD/PhD program is based on rigorous training in clinical medicine and scientific inquiry. Core program elements developed specifically for dual-degree students include a foundational course in research, a literature-based seminar series, the Clinical Preceptorship Program, Data Club, leadership workshops, a career development workshop, the Physician- Scientist Speaker Series, extensive near-peer mentoring, and an annual retreat. Students receive formal instruction in responsible conduct of research and newly developed rigor and reproducibility throughout the curriculum. An innovative advising college program offers opportunities for vertical integration of faculty members, post-graduate physician-scientist trainees, and MSTP students. Current students hone their leadership skills by playing key roles in student recruitment, program administration, and curriculum development. 70% of our total graduates with established careers hold academic or private-sector research positions, including the founding president of Gladstone Institute, 3 deans, 3 department chairs, 26 full professors, and 18 industry leaders. More recent graduates still in training are in superb residencies and fellowships. The 103 current trainees come from 57 colleges and universities distributed across North America. Our increasing applicant pool results from concerted recruiting efforts, including those focused on the recruitment of students from groups underrepresented in medicine. In the current year, 475 applications have been received, from which 14 students will be selected to enter the incoming class. The educational environment for physician- scientists at Vanderbilt University is outstanding and currently Vanderbilt is ranked #8 in NIH funding. Building on established strengths in biomedical informatics, cancer biology, cell biology, clinical pharmacology, diabetes, neurosciences, toxicology, drug discovery, genetics, chemical and physical biology, imaging sciences, microbial pathogenesis, pharmacogenomics, and vaccine science. New areas of research emphasis include addiction, immunobiology, inflammation and cancer, precision medicine, stem cell biology, quantitative systems biology, and structural biology. We are building on this very solid foundation in increasing the size of the program to a steady state of 113 students over the next decade. Based on the commitment of our leadership team, the strength of our applicant pool, enhanced opportunities for physician-scientist training, a longstanding institutional commitment to the education of Vanderbilt MSTP leaders in biomedical research, and the success of our graduates in academic medicine, this proposal requests an increase in NIH-funded positions to 26 for the 5-year project period.
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0.948 |
2020 — 2021 |
Webber, Steven A. Williams, Christopher S. (co-PI) [⬀] |
R38Activity Code Description: Undocumented code - click on the grant title for more information. |
Vanderbilt Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (V-Starr) @ Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Summary The goal of this application is to establish at Vanderbilt a mentored training program (V-StARR) for residents in Medicine or Pediatrics possessing both the aptitude and passion to become a new generation of basic, clinical and translational clinician-scientists. We will particularly focus on ?late bloomers?; i.e. those residents who decide to pursue a career as a clinician-scientist after acceptance to a standard clinical residency pathway. The overarching goal is to provide a nurturing mentored environment for Resident Investigators for 1-2 years of highly rigorous research training to facilitate successful transition to a research-focused fellowship and subsequent appointment as tenure track faculty with the ultimate goal of achieving independence as clinician- scientists. This new program will offer mentored training integrating with the proven and highly successful institutional clinician-scientist training programs at Vanderbilt. Each Resident Investigator will participate in workshops, courses, and our societies for clinician-scientist development and will develop and complete a mentored research project in an area of focus consistent with the missions of NHLBI. Investigation may be basic, translational, clinical or in the area of population health. The V-StARR training program will have five training slots at any given time to support Resident Investigators for a minimum of 80% protected research time for 1-2 years. Three of these slots will be funded by the R38 award and one slot each will be funded by the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics. There will be a formal program selection process to identify the most competitive applicants. Due to Vanderbilt's outstanding reputation for training clinician-scientists, and the characteristics of the applicant pool to our residencies, we anticipate a strong cadre of applicants. The program will provide intense scientific mentorship and personalized career development. The Resident Investigators will have access to a cadre of 36 carefully selected preceptors with sustained NIH funding coupled with successful track records of mentoring early career scholars. Each Resident Investigator will have a personalized Scholarly Oversight Committee to assist in achieving program goals, to provide independent evaluation of their progress, and to develop, advise on, and track their career development plan. Assessment of Resident Investigators will include competency-based milestone assessments with equally rigorous program assessments. A core goal of the V-StARR program will be to promote diversity and inclusion in a highly intentional way. The Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics are fully integrated into the Vanderbilt School of Medicine and Medical Center, which ranks in the top 10 in NIH funding. All departments, hospitals, research laboratories and core facilities reside on a single campus offering an integrated research environment for early career clinician-scientists. The V- StARR program will ensure that Resident Investigators are eligible for certification by their respective ABMS board. We believe this proposal is consistent with the NHLBI's current Strategic Vision Statement.
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0.937 |