CTSA Postdoctoral T32 at the University of California, San Francisco - ABSTRACT We propose the Clinical Research Informatics Postdoctoral (CRISP) Program for clinical fellows, a highly successful training program previously funded through the NCATS TL1 mechanism. The mission of this UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) NRSA Postdoctoral Training Program (T32) is to train outstanding investigators in cutting-edge translational methodologies and analytic techniques, paired with the communication and leadership skills necessary to succeed as translational researchers. The CRISP T32 proposal also addresses the urgent need for in-depth training in clinical research informatics, including artificial intelligence, to build a skilled workforce of clinically trained independent investigators in clinical informatics to become clinical and translational research leaders in this area. During the next five years, the CRISP program will introduce an outstanding group of postdoctoral fellows (four slots annually) to core methods for conducting clinical informatics research, including artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, epidemiologic methods, biostatistical analysis, and the responsible conduct of research. The CRISP fellows will conduct mentored research projects that impact clinical practice within a Learning Health System (LHS). This will position them to successfully compete for future NIH career development grants and build their enthusiasm to pursue and sustain research careers as leading independent investigators or leaders in non-academic research-intensive fields (e.g., government, industry, non-profit). This work will be conducted in close collaboration with the larger UCSF NCATS CTSI, including the 15 synergistic and coordinated workforce development programs. We propose the following: Objective 1. In partnership with the UCSF CTSI and associated Workforce Development Programs, train clinical postdoctoral fellows in state-of-the-art clinical research informatics methods and provide mentorship in the design and completion of clinical research informatics projects. Training Objective 1.1. Train an outstanding group of clinical (MD, DMD, DDS, DNSc, DO, DPT, PharmD, clinically licensed PhD) postdoctoral CRISP fellows in methods for clinical and translational research. Training Objective 1.2. Provide CRISP fellows with training in clinical research informatics and data science, including artificial intelligence methods; support them in completing a mentored clinical research informatics project. Training Objective 1.3. Provide CRISP fellows with training in academic career development and leadership. CRISP is innovative in that it confers unique skills to prepare postdoctoral fellows for cutting-edge clinical and translational research using translational science principles. Clinical informatics methods, including artificial intelligence, can accelerate data processing, analysis, and synthesis to enable transformation of healthcare delivery into true LHS models and into transformational clinical and translational research studies. The proposed T32 will prepare the next generation of researchers in pioneering clinical research informatics methods, which are crucial to advancing rigorous and impactful science in a rapidly changing world.
