Multidisciplinary Training in Critical Care Outcomes Research

PROJECT SUMMARY In this application, we propose to continue our highly successful multidisciplinary post-doctoral training program in critical care outcomes research. The training program provides 2-3 years of research training in critical illness and acute cardiopulmonary dysfunction with a focus on complex critical illness syndromes such as acute lung injury and sepsis. The academic home of our training program is the Center for Research, Investigation, and Systems Modeling of Acute Illness (CRISMA), an interdisciplinary research center in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Critical Care Medicine. CRISMA contains over 25 extramurally funded faculty members, 45 research staff members, and core facilities supporting bench research, prospective data collection, data management, statistical analysis, project management, and administrative support. Post-doctoral scholars train in one of five interrelated areas of investigation reflecting the expertise of primary CRISMA faculty: (a) clinical and translational science; (b) patient-centered outcomes research; (c) systems modelling and computational biology; (d) critical care ethics and decision making; and (e) critical care organization and management. In this renewal, we further strengthen our training program by expanding training opportunities in data science, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, critical illness throughout the lifespan, and advancement of the learning health care system. Training activities include intensive mentorship in the form of weekly meetings with primary mentors and monthly meetings with mentorship teams; didactic education in the form of formal coursework in research methodology through the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Clinical Research Education, in most cases culminating in the attainment of a master’s degree; and experiential research during which trainees design, execute, and complete mentored research projects in a thematic area of study. In addition, trainees present and receive feedback on their ongoing work during weekly lab meetings and research seminars. All trainees also receive interactive instruction in the responsible conduct of research and methods for enhancing rigor and reproducibility via both formal and informal activities. The training environment is supported by numerous career development resources at the University of Pittsburgh, including tight integration with our University’s Clinical and Translational Research Institute. Overall, our training program is designed to create an innovative scientific workforce with the skills necessary to answer the most pressing research questions about critical illness and severe acute cardiopulmonary disease.