Tuesday, December 3, 2024
12/3/2024
ABSTRACT This application proposes the third renewal of Boston University's NIH training program, Translational Re- search in Biomaterials (TRB). The TRB mission is to train PhD students as interdisciplinary and transla- tional research scientists and engineers. The TRB trainees acquire a fundamental and quantitative under- standing of materials, biomaterial-tissue responses, and molecular and cell biology, as well as interdiscipli- nary training experiences and education that promote discussion and scientific inquiry in areas outside stu- dents’ “comfort zones,” such as in business and clinical trials. New for this renewal are the following: a jun- ior faculty mentoring plan, integrated student governance, better data collection, new courses, professional development workshops, student founded and led translational MInT program, Fireside chats with key opin- ion-leaders, peer mentoring program pairing first year trainees with senior trainees, and more targeted ef- forts for underrepresented minority recruitment. The cornerstones of the TRB program are the curriculum and the program elements that combine interdis- ciplinary research, quantitative science, engineering, and translational-based courses in clinical trials and business, with student-organized seminar club, dinners with clinicians, training in professional ethics, indi- vidual development plans, and professional workshops/ career panels. Our aim is to teach the unique skills and competencies that are essential to thrive in a multidisciplinary collaborative team striving to meet com- mon goals in research, development, translation, and, ultimately, commercialization. Since our initial funding in 2009, 44 students have participated in the TRB training program: 33 were supported with NIH funds and 11 were co-funded by the BU Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry. We have accom- plished our demographic and training mission: 21 women (47%), 23 men (53%), 36% minority, 91% reten- tion; 100% employment; 22 current students. The TRB trainees have excelled on multiple fronts, including publications (112 published papers with 57 first-authored; five in review; five in preparation), patent applica- tions (14), oral (56) and poster (177) conference presentations, competitive individual fellowships (19), and other awards (27). TRB alumni hold positions ranging from Assistant Professor at Rice University, to a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, to co-founding biomedical start-ups (e.g., Pharmachk). In this renewal, the continuation of the TRB, with six trainee stipends per year funded via NIH (trainees are supported for two years) is aligned with the expertise of participating faculty, the availability of a large and strong applicant pool eligible for and interested in the TRB program (200+ training grant eligible applicants), and an extramu- ral funding base to provide the appropriate research environment and continued support for NIH trainees beyond their first two years.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
