Colorado Clinician Scientist Training Program

Abstract Advancing patient care in otolaryngology is critically dependent on training future leaders in the field to become successful independent researchers and drive advancements in patient care. Most otolaryngology residency programs offer limited research training and there is a dire need for well-trained independent physician investigators in the specialty. New approaches are required to recruit budding physician investigators into academic research-focused careers in Otolaryngology. Therefore the goal of this new R25 application is to provide exceptional research training in otolaryngology-related research to carefully selected medical students and Otolaryngology residents. Trainees will receive research training and career development to set them up with the skills required to become outstanding clinician scientists able to perform high impact research. Resident trainees will undergo 18 months of research integrated into their 6 year residency training program. Research training for medical students will occur in the third year of medical school with a dedicated 9 month research block. One resident and one medical student with exceptional research promise and dedication to an academic career in Otolaryngology will be selected from diverse applicant pools and admitted each year into the research training program. The Department of Otolaryngology has a balanced, well-funded and expanding research portfolio and an excellent track record of producing physician scientists through our existing NIDCD T32 training grant. Funded faculty with active research programs will serve as research mentors and clinically-focused faculty will serve as career mentors. The wider community at The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has major strengths in all areas related to Otolaryngology including hearing, balance, smell, taste, speech, language and disorders of communication and head and neck cancer. The research training faculty has existing extensive research collaborations which will continue to grow and foster an outstanding team-based training environment and unique training experience for each of our trainees. The intensive research and mentoring program for each trainee will involve individualized development plans, training in innovative research methods, structured didactics and rigorous ethics education.