Neurological Sciences Academic Development Award (NSADA) (K12)

University Of California, San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: It is the goal of this competing renewal application for the Neurological Sciences Academic Development Award that we continue to train, with the highest rigor, candidates who will succeed in academic child neurology. At UCSF, we have created a program that fosters clinical excellence and rigorous postgraduate scientific training. The NSADA has provided the foundation for our division to grow academically and has allowed us to merge clinical training with scientific discovery. The overall theme of our application is "Translating discoveries in neurological diseases of infancy and childhood". We will offer rigorous basic and translational scientific training to young investigators skilled at recognizing the phenotypes of complex childhood neurological diseases. Our specific aims are to continue to offer a structured program for training academic child neurologists for a career in translational research;to foster career development;and to expose candidates to the intellectual environment of UCSF. Our first candidate will perform an evaluation of the phosphoinositide 3'-kinase signaling pathway in pediatric malignant gliomas by setting up in vitro and in vivo xenograft models from pediatric brain tumors. She will use the facilities of the Brain Tumor Research Center and the mentorship of Dr. Daphne Haas-Kogan and Dr. William Weiss, experts in the field. Additional candidates have been identified who will, upon completion of their clinical training, will submit protocols for review by the internal and external advisory committees. We have included in the grant the rich resources that are provided to these applicants. With well established, nationally recognized and supported training programs to support the didactic phase, coupled with a team of research scientists committed to the career development of child neurologists, we will succeed in bringing forth the next generation of leaders in academic child neurology. Public Health Relevance: It is necessary to adequately train the next generation of leaders in child neurology so that the future care of children with neurological disease can be addressed and improved.