Research Training Program in Otolaryngology

This application requests continued support for a research training program in Otolaryngology to provide two-year translational and clinical research training opportunities for physicians pursuing an academic career in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Research training in neurosciences, molecular genetics, molecular biology, bioengineering, and epidemiology promotes the long-term goal of increasing the number and quality of Otolaryngology surgeons capable of being key members of research teams that studying the underlying mechanisms, diagnostic criteria, and therapeutic approaches of the impaired auditory and other communicative systems. A multidisciplinary educational environment is created through the interaction of twenty-four clinicians and basic scientists from the departments and programs of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hearing Sciences, Speech Science, Neuroscience, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Physiology, Radiation Oncology and Free Radical Biology, and The Colleges of Pharmacy, Engineering, Public Health, and Business. A wide assortment of research training opportunities are available, ranging from basic research in electrophysiology and molecular biology of the auditory system, neuroanatomy, molecular genetics of deafness, free radical biology, biomaterial engineering, and molecular biology of craniofacial deformities to clinical investigations involving epidemiologic study of hearing loss, head and neck cancer, speech disorders, and clinical trials study of hearing loss, head and neck cancer, speech disorders and clinical trials methodology. Trainees will be enrolled in didactic courses in their area of interest throughout the two-year training period. The application requests two postgraduate training positions a year (ten over five years) for physicians completing at least one year of clinical training. Emphasis is placed on multi-disciplinary research teams and training. Trainees will devote 100% of their effort to research training for two consecutive years, to be followed by completion of a four-year clinical residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Trainees will have two additional 3-month research blocks during the PGY3 and PGY4 years, supported by the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, providing at least 2.5 years of an intensive research training experience. The proposed research training program will expand the research training opportunities available to future academic otolaryngologists, foster interaction among clinical and basic scientists, and provide physicians with tools to become function as key members of research teams that translate basic discovery into improved clinical care.