Pediatric Gastroenterology Training Grant
The fellowship training program of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Cincinnati Children's Hospital is supported by a training grant (T32 DK 007727) awarded by the National Institutes of Health.
Program Objective
The program is designed to provide the intensive basic or clinical research experience that is essential to prepare clinician-scientists for productive and independent careers in academic and investigative medicine. The Program has a demonstrated track record of recruiting well-trained clinicians and providing them with research opportunities, an educational curriculum, and appropriate mentoring to enable them to achieve successful academic careers.
Applicant Requirements
Our focus is to train pediatric gastroenterologists interested in academic careers. Physicians with internal medicine training in gastroenterology and PhD applicants will also be considered if they seek training in areas relevant to gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition in a faculty advisor's laboratory.
A total of six fellows can be supported at present. These fellows will spend two years in a faculty advisor's laboratory or in a structured clinical research program.
Faculty
The faculty advisors consist of 35 established investigators with research interests relevant to pediatric gastroenterology. Four disease-related themes are central to the program:
- Diarrheal and inflammatory disorders
- Chronic liver disease
- Liver and small intestinal failure and transplantation
- Obesity
The faculty has a demonstrated record of productive collaboration and extramural funding. There is also a clear commitment to and a successful record of mentoring graduate and postdoctoral students so that PhDs train side-by-side with MDs. A group of well-qualified prospective Faculty Advisors has also been identified to ensure continued growth of the program.
Each advisor has a primary appointment in pediatrics, medicine, or other relevant departments within the University of Cincinnati. The faculty has a demonstrated record of productive collaboration and extramural funding.
There is also a clear commitment to and a successful record of mentoring graduate and postdoctoral students. A group of well-qualified prospective faculty advisors has also been identified to ensure continued growth of the program.
Curriculum & Training Environment
Didactic course work is required for trainees in both basic and clinical research and this is supplemented with appropriate seminars, journal clubs, a course in the responsible conduct of research, and other enrichment offerings. Those learning how to perform clinical research are expected to complete a Master of Science Degree, most commonly in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Cincinnati. The training environment is rich and includes 11 federally funded training grants and extensive opportunities for support of the early career development of pediatric physician scientists.
A number of additions and improvements to the already strong program have been made. These include: expansion of the Faculty, addition of the Digestive Disease Research Development Center (DDRDC), Biliary Atresia Research Consortium (BARC) and the Rare Liver Disease Network, an expanded and improved program to help trainees select a research program, and an expanded career guidance program.
Evaluation
The progress of each trainee is monitored by an individual Scholarship Oversight Committee to ensure an adequate focus and mentoring experience to achieve the goals of the program and to provide critical feedback and constructive criticism to maximize the research experience of the trainees.
Track Record
The record of our Trainees in staying in academic medicine (81%), obtaining extramural research support and/or continuing with advanced research training (43%) is a measure of our success. We have also fulfilled our commitment to train women (33%) and minorities (19%).
