Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grant

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT (Description) Our multifaceted research training program, entering Year 40 at The University of Arizona (UA), introduces, trains and nurtures diverse medical students in health-related biomedical research and stimulates subsequent intensive and extensive research experiences. Building from the high level of student/faculty participation and outstanding record of trainee productivity (presentations, publications, awards, and advanced research), we will continue to offer a mix of 3-month experiences to 23-36 MS/year to engage in NHLBI-focused laboratory/clinical investigations fully integrated into our longstanding Curriculum on Medical Ignorance (CMI). CMI features an intensive Summer Institute on Medical Ignorance, year-round enrichment activities (e.g., seminars, clinical correlations, Failure/Pondering/Ethics Rounds, career advising), and advanced extracurricular research opportunities through a popular Research Distinction Track. Our unique Virtual Clinical Research Center/Questionarium online platform with evolving Precision Medicine Theme (“Translating Translation”) focuses on examples, scenarios, and steps in the translation process. CMI aims to foster attitudes and skills to address the vast shifting world of medical ignorance [i.e., "what we know we don't know (current research), don't know we don't know (future discovery), and think we know but don't (error)"] from molecular systems to clinical and community medicine. Questioning, critical/creative thinking, team building, mentorship, and leadership skills are cultivated to forge a mentoring “chain reaction” through a diverse, multilevel NIH-funded research pipeline continuum. Overseen by an experienced multidisciplinary administrative team, students choose projects across a spectrum of disciplines and investigations (in vivo, in vitro, in situ, in silico, molecular mechanisms, clinical trials, populations studies, and modeling approaches) that support NHLBI mission areas, encompassing the normal and disordered cardiovascular (CV) system, lung, blood, and sleep (cardiac contractility, development, hypertrophy, microcirculation, endothelial biology, electrophysiology, oxygenation, heart failure, resuscitation, CV genomics/proteomics, CV prosthetics, arterial/venous/lymphatic disease); pulmonology (asthma, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, organogenesis, microbiome, sleep apnea); and cell-based science/therapy; with cross-cutting themes in data science/ bioengineering/multimodal imaging; drug/ device discovery R&D, risk factors, health disparities; and other topics of interest to student researchers and spanning translational steps from bench to bedside to clinical practice and population health. Based on a 40-year track record reflected in follow-up surveys of institutional impact and participant comes, we anticipate cultivating an enlarging number of scientific physicians who understand and contribute to the research enterprise and a growing cadre of physician- scientist leaders to replenish the dwindling supply of translational researchers. Detailed short-term and long-term formative/summative program/participant evaluation with database registry, individual development plans, and career portfolios will document efficacy and promote dissemination.