Multidisciplinary Research Fellowship in Alzheimer’s disease and Related Dementias

University Of California, San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

ABSTRACT This is the fourth renewal application requesting T32 funding for the UCSF Behavioral Neurology Training Program (BNTP), co-directed by Drs. Howard Rosen and Bruce Miller. The BNTP was established at UCSF in 1999 within the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC) to train clinical researchers in behavioral neurology and neurodegenerative disease. Funded in 2005, this T32 program allows emerging researchers to gain an integrated understanding of the clinical, epidemiological, genetic, and molecular features of neurodegenerative diseases, and is one of the few programs in the world that provides intensive training on the non-Alzheimer’s dementias and non-amnestic forms of AD. The goal of the program is to train postdoctoral clinical researchers for a career in neurodegenerative research. The program is open to MD neurologists, geriatricians and psychiatrists who have completed a residency. A core element of our program is accurate classification of dementia subtypes and prediction of the specific proteins causing neurodegeneration. Our training is designed to impart fellows with the skills to evaluate and quantify the effects of various proteins and other biological factors that cause dementia using clinical assessment and laboratory methods. Training takes place over two years. The first year consists of research rotations through three clinical research programs at our center including our program project grant on frontotemporal dementia, our Alzheimer’s disease research program, and our rapidly progressive dementia program. These rotations are supplemented by a trainee lecture series, leadership training, a neuropathology experience, weekly grand rounds presentations, and other educational activities. During this year, fellows begin development of their research project with one of the program mentors and develop skills in scientific writing, presentation, and in data analysis using archival data from our clinical and imaging databases. In the second year, fellows are given more unstructured time to continue their research project and plan for grant submissions to support their future career in clinical research. Forty five fellows have been supported directly by this T32, but the infrastructure developed through the T32 program contributes to the education of many additional postdoctoral fellows.