The ANTIDOTE Institute- Advancing New Toxicology Investigators in Drug abuse and Original Translational research Efforts - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSRACT This proposal is responsive to PAR-21-320 with two overarching goals: 1) to provide empiric training in research methodology and hypothesis-driven research, and 2) to train a diverse cadre of clinical medical toxicologists as independent researchers at the intersection of substance use disorder (SUD) and public health. The epidemics of SUD are in sore need of innovation and diversity among researchers. Medical Toxicology is a field of medicine dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of poisoned patients, including adverse health effects of drugs and illicit substances. Medical toxicologists have a track record of innovation and public health-relevant research in SUD; however, few pursue careers as independent, federally funded investigators. In response to this gap in our specialty, we developed in collaboration with the American College of Medical Toxicology, a hybrid research mentorship program, the ANTIDOTE (Advancing New Toxicology Investigators in Drug abuse and Original Translational research Efforts) Institute. The ANTIDOTE Institute provides structured research methodology training and mentorship to medical toxicologists with a long-term goal of developing a pipeline of medical toxicology physician scientists that achieve independent federal funding in SUD research. This R25 proposes to formalize ANTIDOTE by extending our curriculum for a more rigorous training experience, providing seed funding to accelerate the progress of institute fellows in SUD research, and expanding institute activities to include outreach and multi-generational mentorship. The expanded two-year ANTIDOTE curriculum will be delivered using a hybrid approach including in-person retreats, virtual group meetings/didactics, and virtual one-on-one meetings. We have assembled a strong multi- disciplinary faculty who are experts in research methodology, innovators in the care of SUD, and master educators. The Specific Aims of this proposal are: 1) To expand, implement and widely disseminate the ANTIDOTE institute with a curriculum grounded in Participatory Learning Theory to support the development of toxicologists as clinician scientists: 2) To evaluate the impact of the ANTIDOTE institute using a validated program evaluation tools: and 3) To facilitate and sustain the development of a diverse investigator pipeline in medical toxicology, through training in mentorship skills, knowledge translation and outreach. The ANTIODTE Institute is the first program of its kind to systematically address educational gaps within medical toxicology training around developing hypothesis-driven research investigations. Successful expansion of the program will facilitate methodologically rigorous and clinically informed research on SUD and create a national network of diverse investigators to sustain this momentum. This framework can then be translated outside of the field of medical toxicology to facilitate pipeline development in other clinical specialties.
