Multidisciplinary Pulmonary Research Training Program - The Multidisciplinary Pulmonary Research Training Program is focused on developing independent academic investigators dedicated to studies in respiratory diseases. The Lung Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC) has been in a growth phase for the last decade with a large influx of highly collaborative investigators all with well-recognized research programs in respiratory research. Peter Chen, MD, and William Parks, PhD, are co-Program Directors and will work with a diverse research faculty that bring knowledge from several scientific disciplines and clinical faculty that provide an interface to collect human samples for translational research as well as provide a foundation of medical education. All faculty, ranging from early-stage to senior investigators, are provided mentorship training and education. Building upon the strong history of recruitment at CSMC, four positions will be available (two in the first year) for MD, MD/PhD, and PhD scientists to undergo a rigorous 2-year training program in basic and translational respiratory research. Trainees will have a primary mentor (often coupled with a co-mentor) to guide their research training in one of the following six core research areas: 1) Cystic fibrosis; 2) Development and regeneration; 3) Fibrosis; 4) Lung immunology; 5) Lung injury; and 6) Transplant immunology. To ensure multidisciplinary training and teach team science concepts, several of the following affiliated research programs will be integrated into the research project: 1) Aging; 2) Bioengineering; 3) Biomarker discovery; 4) Computational Biology; 5) Drug Discovery; 6) Imaging; 7) Microbiome; 8) -Omics; 9) Regenerative Medicine; 10) Translational Research. Required coursework will provide instruction on topics such as research integrity and bioethics, biostatistics, and grantsmanship. Physician-scientist trainees will be provided additional scientific training either through the Clinical Scholar program, which is a CSMC program that has an established record of successful academic development or by obtaining a Master’s Degree via the Graduate Program in Biomedical and Translational Sciences at CSMC. PhD trainees will have instruction in pulmonary medicine to provide deeper medical knowledge particularly as it pertains to their research. A Mentoring Committee will also be created to oversee the overall training progression and career development of each trainee during the training period and beyond. The trainee, mentors, and program will be reviewed quarterly by an internal advisory committee and annually by an external advisory committee. Upon completion of the training program, the trainee will be required to demonstrate research productivity (i.e., publications), growth toward independence in developing research questions and implementing studies, and grantsmanship skills with successful submissions for research funding.
