Training Program in Reproductive & Developmental Biology

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long term goals of this T32 post-doctoral Training Program are twofold: 1). To recruit the best and brightest young physicians and basic science trainees interested in successful academic careers in biomedical research operating at the translational interface between bench and bedside using the contemporary tools of Reproduction, Development, and Genetics; and 2). To provide these high quality trainees with a secure period of stable funding so they can be exposed to: a) a rich spectrum of competitively funded and challenging biomedical problems; b) the most contemporary tools with which to attack them; c) optimal didactic experiences; and d) carefully mentored research experiences during periods of increasing autonomy. Taken together, this tight matrix of interwoven experiences equips our trainees with the foundational experiences necessary to achieve independence in research as is attested to by this program's track record of previous trainees. The key elements of success in meeting these goals are a rich pool of talented applicants and an exciting context within an Academic Medical Center. Our parent institution, the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), has a strong focus on human disease/disease models with a rich tradition of inter-disciplinary collaboration across a broad mix of talented training faculty (Tables 1 & 2). Each faculty member has been carefully selected by the Program Directors (PDs) on the basis of their demonstrated commitment to the independence of their trainees, exciting and important biologic problems on which to work, and stable funding. The spectrum of our program's planned research projects occurs in the laboratories of 11 mid- and senior level faculty members (Tables 1-4), each focused on key questions in human development, reproduction, systems and molecular biology, and/or genetics. Our Training Program taps into an exciting blend of basic and clinical researchers who have chosen to focus their interdisciplinary skills on human disease targets, i.e. the genetics of Mendelian development disorders like Isolated GnRH Deficiency, fetal congenital lung and diaphragmatic anomalies, neurologic disorders, as well as complex genetic disorders such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Given our nation's pressing need and expressed priorities for training translational researchers pointed out by the Institute of Medicine's Clinical Research Roundtable (References Cited: 1 & 2) as well as the powerful synergies emerging in reproduction, development and genetics, we propose to continue our current level of training 4 physicians and/or basic scientists for the next 5 years of this competing renewal application.