Training in Sleep, Circadian, and Respiratory Neurobiology

Brigham And Women'S Hospital, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

In its most recent research plan, the NHLBI’s National Center for Sleep Disorders Research identified the need to foster a strong, highly qualified and well-trained workforce as its central priority. The Mass General Brigham Program for Training in Sleep, Circadian and Respiratory Neurobiology is based at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Over the past 27 years, this program has evolved to rise to the new challenges in our field, including providing training in state-of-the-art research techniques from molecular biology to population sciences related to sleep, circadian and respiratory neurobiology. This program provides targeted, structured, and comprehensive research training to prepare outstanding individuals at multiple levels of scholarly achievement, from medical students to post-doctoral fellows, for academic positions in the broad fields of sleep, circadian and respiratory neurobiology. For each trainee, the training program consists of core required courses and activities, elective courses and activities, and an intensive research experience. Interdisciplinary and translational research is a highlight of this program, and formal mentoring and tracking components are integral features. Intensive research training experiences are available across the breadth of sleep, circadian and respiratory neurobiology areas, including basic, translational, and clinical research opportunities, with a program project that spans multiple laboratories and institutions. There are 27 Full Preceptors that span 9 institutions, including 2 medical schools, with extensive experience and demonstrated success at training pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows, well-funded research programs (supported by $31 million of direct costs annually), and outstanding resources that trainees utilize for research. In addition, we have 7 Associate Preceptors who are actively being trained to be our next generation of mentors. Our training record over the past decade reveals the success of our efforts to train leaders in academic sleep science. Of our pre- and post-doctoral trainees funded by this training grant over the last 15 years, 96% and 94% of our pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees, respectively, are currently active in academic/research-intensive careers, with 77% of our post-doctoral trainees currently employed in academic research careers. Of the 37 post-doctoral trainees who were supported by this training grant before 2014, 54% report being PI on a research grant (54%), almost all of whom have a faculty rank of Assistant Professor or higher. These data demonstrate the successful record of our participating faculty at training both pre- and post-doctoral trainees for research-intensive careers. Funds are requested to support four pre-doctoral graduate students, three pre-doctoral short-term summer medical students, and eight post-doctoral trainees. Based on our highly competitive application process, we are confident these positions will be filled by outstanding future leaders. This program has grown and been refined over the two decades since its inception and meets the nationally-recognized need to increase the number of highly-qualified investigators in sleep and circadian science and medicine.