Research Training in Otolaryngology

Project Summary The purpose of the proposed resubmission for “Research Training in Otolaryngology” is to provide a two-year period of uninterrupted research training for one individual per year during the course of clinical residency training in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. As in the past, the clinical training program at Harvard/Massachusetts Eye and Ear has two separate tracks, a clinical track and a research track, and it is in this latter research track that training will be supported. The educational objective of the training program is to prepare the selected trainees for an academic career in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and to place them soundly on a trajectory toward successfully competing for peer-reviewed research funding. The program provides opportunity for research training in established laboratories under the mentorship of individuals with a track record of peer-reviewed research support in a wide variety of research environments in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, its affiliated hospitals, including Children’s Hospital of Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The research opportunities include a wide variety of basic, clinical, and translational research in hearing, balance, laryngology, and voice, molecular biology and genetics, head and neck neoplasia, rhinologic disease, neurobiology of head and neck pathologies, and neuroprostheses. The applicants will be drawn on a yearly basis from a pool of nearly 400 applicants for residency training in otolaryngology, which includes specific recruitment of individuals from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The educational program includes training in responsible conduct of research, research methodology to enhance reproducibility, and specific mentorship in the application process for peer-reviewed funding. The applicant pool will be interviewed by a residency selection committee which includes representation from members of the research community.