Northwestern Center for Reproductive Science Predoctoral Training Program in Reproductive Science, Medicine, and Technology

The mission of the Northwestern Center for Reproductive Science Predoctoral Training Program in Reproductive Science, Medicine, and Technology (CRS Training Program) is to train future leaders in the reproductive sciences, while simultaneously improving human health. The CRS Training Program is embedded in the CRS, which has a four-decade history of keeping reproductive science and medicine visible, viable, and valuable. The CRS infrastructure provides a physical space for our trainees and an intellectual hub of data clubs, seminars, workshops, and summits. Over the first five-year duration of the program, our trainees have co-authored fifteen papers, including eight first author papers, presented at conferences and meetings in both oral and poster formats, received independent research grants, and received awards and recognitions for their outstanding predoctoral work. In the next funding cycle, we will continue to train predoctoral graduate students from five of Northwestern’s top graduate programs in the life sciences, bioengineering, and medicine. We will expand our course offerings, and we will enhance training outcomes by improving our training for mentors and continually adapting our program based on improved program evaluation mechanisms and trainee focus groups. Renewed funding of this program is critical as our freshly minted doctorates will enter the professional arena at an unusual time for science – one marked by low funding and fierce job competition. As such, our comprehensive educational program was designed with a focus on cutting edge and emerging technologies so we can develop successful leaders in reproductive science and across multiple disciplines in this lean, face-paced environment. Our trainees receive well-rounded training in reproductive science and medicine through coursework spanning didactics on basic and clinical reproductive physiology, reproductive technologies laboratory skills, research proposals and scientific communication, and responsible conduct of research. Our 21 Faculty Mentors come from 13 departments and study reproductive science and medicine from basic, translational, and clinical perspectives. Trainee coursework and laboratory training is bolstered by unique CRS Training Program experiences which focus on professional and career development experiences. All trainees participate in Academic Accelerator Partnerships, which are extended laboratory and core facility exchanges, or externships designed to expose students to team science and the latest technologies related to their research. Trainees also receive formalized professional and career development upskilling through our Career Catalyst Series which exposes our trainees to diverse career opportunities and prime them with career skills, including written, oral, and visual communication, self-assessment, networking, teamwork, and outreach. Ultimately, the CRS Training Program provides trainees with the most comprehensive formal training in our field.