Translational Interdisciplinary Research Training in Communication Sciences and Disorders

This training grant is designed to address three critical threats to the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD): (1) a national shortage of PhD level researchers; (2) increased need for translational, interdisciplinary, and cross-methodological training; and (3) gaps in the implementation of scientific advances to educational, healthcare, and community settings. This proposal requests support for four predoctoral students to participant in a translational and interdisciplinary training program that draws on faculty from the departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Psychology and Human Development, Otolaryngology, Biostatistics, and Medicine and leverages the resources and training opportunities available at Vanderbilt (e.g., Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, The Implementation Science Core). Vanderbilt is uniquely positioned for the proposed research as it is a recognized leader the fields of CSD, and translational and implementation research. The purpose of this training grant is to prepare students for independent scholarship in translational and interdisciplinary research. Trainees take formal coursework across different disciplines, including instruction in quantitative methods, gain hands on experience with multiple methodologies, complete a collaborative-interdisciplinary research rotation (spanning two or more approaches), in addition to working in the lab of their primary advisor. Trainees have access to a number of research programs including in auditory neuroscience, pediatric audiology, cochlear implants, language development and disorders, language neuroscience and rehabilitation, psycholinguistics, developmental disorders and disability, cognitive-communication disorders, genetics, reading and reading disorders, acquired brain injury, hearing and hearing aids, motor speech, voice, and fluency. Experimental methodologies include animal models (e.g., monkey, mice, rabbit), neuroimaging (e.g., MRI/fMRI, DTI, fNIRS, EEG/ERP), physiological measurement (e.g., heart rate, respiration, skin conductance), computational modeling, eye-tracking, neuropsychology, lesion method, various behavioral paradigms, electromagnetic articulography, and advanced statistical approaches. Students participate in expanded training in responsible conduct of research, replication and reproducibility, scientific communication and grant writing, journal clubs, and research colloquia. Key outcomes include submission of peer-reviewed manuscripts, application for external research funding (e.g., NIH NRSA F31), participation in national or international meetings, and eventually, employment at a research university. The overarching goal of the training program is to prepare a number of highly trained and qualified researchers who are well-equipped to address the challenges facing the field of CSD.