Postdoctoral Training in Trauma and Burns

PROJECT SUMMARY The primary objective of our training program is to provide a comprehensive educational environment to young physicians and/or scientists interested in academic translational research in the areas of burns and trauma. Our training program is an integrated two-year research experience that offers up to three individual trainees, at the postdoctoral level, highly structured research training in fundamental aspects of molecular biology, physiology, biochemistry, metabolism, immunology, and cell biology as they pertain to the pathophysiologic state post burn. The training program includes basic or bench research, animal research, and human or clinical research studies in which the concepts of interpreting basic information from the laboratory and applying it to clinical problems and clinical research are taught [bench-to-bedside]. Clinical, translational, and basic science investigators focus their efforts to address problems pertinent to improving outcomes, survival, and the quality of life of burned adults and children. The rationale for the faculty to participate in these mentoring activities, is that we have seen how such experience has advanced burn and trauma care. Research trainees at our institutions, supported by NIH training grants, such as this T32, have over the last 30 years, significantly advanced our understanding of injury and treatment. During the past decade, pediatric mortality has decreased from 32% to 17% for burns over 60% of the total body surface area. This decrease in mortality is due to advancements in resuscitation, control of the metabolic response to trauma, control of infection, and early total coverage of burn wounds, progress that is in large part due to our NIH post-doctoral fellows' research efforts. From their research efforts, we have been able to decrease the length of hospital stay by half, and improve psychosocial and functional outcomes. As mentors, we continue to direct our trainees' interest to the areas of cardiopulmonary pathophysiology, responses to thermal injury at the molecular level, substrate metabolism, immunology, infection, wound healing, scarring, rehabilitation, and the integrated and long-term outcomes of burned adults and children. These outcomes are studied to determine the effect of interventions such as clinical therapeutics or exercise/nutrition. Future advancements will be assured by NIH-funded training programs such as ours.