Integrated Program in Endocrinology Translational Postdoctoral Training Program

Abstract. The rate of progress in understanding the basis for reproductive health and disease is breathtaking,
accelerated ever further by constant advances in cellular and molecular techniques. Nonetheless, research in
traditional academic departments and research in clinical departments often does not overlap. As such, the PhD
trained in a purely academic environment will remain unexposed to the clinical mindset and practices and so fail
to pursue translational goals, while the clinician Fellow is well aware of the clinical problem and by definition
focused on the human itself, but may be less aware of recent conceptual and methodologic advances available
to investigate clinically derived research questions. As PA-18-403 RFA states, “past studies have shown that
health professional trainees who train in programs with postdoctoral researchers who have intensive research
backgrounds are more likely to apply for and receive subsequent research grant support”. To that end, the goal
of this proposal is simple - to provide for the PhD and MD Fellow a combined and integrated immersion
experience in a cutting edge cross campus research program that is in itself embedded in and focused upon a
more clinical environment where health and disease is the primary consideration, and to then promote the use
of nonhuman primate and human derived models in MD or PhD Fellowship projects lead by MD/DVM/PhD
Faculty of combined clinical and traditional training backgrounds. The campus home for this program will be the
integrated Program in Endocrinology (iPEnd), which was founded in 2016 to foster and promote collaboration
focused on fetal development and the compromised adult outcomes of adverse pregnancy. We propose here
that iPEnd also offers a vibrant interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary environment comprised of MD, PhD and
DVM trained faculty with which both MD and PhD Postdoctoral Fellows could train together to enter the world of
translational research. Such a blended training environment is very much needed if we are to maintain a future
pool of interdisciplinary translational research team members intellectually and professionally ready to pursue
the goals of NICHD to improve reproductive health and outcomes. Another consideration by NIH is that trainees
do not go on to future independent success by simple exposure to ‘good science’ alone. Indeed, both Trainees
and Trainers need support and professional education to ensure the best outcomes. To that end, our proposed
training includes a deep immersion in higher level research training typical of many T32 programs at this time,
but we aim to go far beyond to include the evidence based 8 core competencies for Postdoctoral trainees
combined with added Mentee and Mentor training and the complimentary Professional Development Resources
in order to achieve the rich blended training environment so strongly recommended by NIH. We believe iPEnd
is ready to promote the concepts of the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary ‘Translational Workforce’ through
the proposed Training Program, operating within first class campus environment geared for basic but
increasingly supportive of translational research. On that basis, we submit this application.

Grant Number: 5T32HD101384-05
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: IAN BIRD