Enrichment Program

PROJECT SUMMARY (ENRICHMENT PROGRAM) The goal of the CMSDLD Enrichment Program is to provide unique programming to advance the scientific education and professional development of digestive and liver disease researchers at all levels, ranging from undergraduate students to senior professors. The Enrichment series has been rebuilt over the last two years, with new programs to better target the needs of the restructured Research Base and Theme Areas as well as to provide expanded career development offerings for junior researchers. Enrichment activities fall into three categories: 1) scientific programming for the CMSDLD community as a whole, including a Research Seminar series, regular trainee research update sessions, an Advances in Technology Series, and an Annual Symposium, highlighting the latest scientific and technical advances; 2) mentoring and professional development programs, including Grant Writing and Lab Management Seminar series, regular Mini-Poster Sessions, extensive oral presentation opportunities, and a junior faculty exchange program; and 3) support for training programs for undergraduates, medical students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. Additional goals of the enrichment program are to enhance cohesion in the Center in the setting of changes to the Research Base, the reorganization of Center themes, and the addition of a new core; and to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion through both the scientific and professional development programming. Collectively, these activities will increase the pool of well-trained digestive and liver disease researchers, bolster the trajectory of scientists interested in digestive and liver disease research, generate scientific excitement, and provide state-of-the-art technical education to Center participants at all career stages.