SYSTEMS APPROACHES TO THE EPIDEMIOLOGY, GENETICS AND GENOMICS OF LUNG DISEASES

ABSTRACT Channing Division of Network Medicine Training Program in Systems Approaches to the Epidemiology, Genetics, and Genomics of Lung Diseases This training program is a competing continuation of a program funded by Institutional Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award T32 HL007427. The program, which has operated continuously for the past 46 years, focuses on chronic respiratory diseases that are major public health problems--asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Based on our current limited understanding of these complex lung diseases, there is a critical need for individuals trained in the application of systems approaches to epidemiology, genetics, and genomics to perform quantitative research in respiratory biology. This T32 program is instrumental in meeting this need, successfully training independent research investigators who go on to lead their own research programs across the U.S. and Canada. The program provides research training in seven areas: systems genetics; systems biology and network modeling; transcriptomics; functional genetics; other Omics; epigenomics; and bioinformatics/data science. Six postdoctoral and two predoctoral training positions are requested in this proposal, with a typical appointment duration of three years. The trainees interact with a pool of 36 faculty members in the seven interrelated research areas. Each trainee will have the opportunity to become involved in the design, execution, and analysis of ongoing federally funded research projects as well as develop an independent career path. Trainees’ research is conducted at the Channing Division of Network Medicine, a research division of the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS). Predoctoral trainees work toward a Ph.D. in network science, biostatistics, or epidemiology. Postdoctoral trainees undertake didactic classroom work leading to a Master of Science (M.S.) in epidemiology or a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) or a Master of Medical Science (M.M.Sc.) degree in bioinformatics at HMS. After completing our program, trainees will be eligible to assume faculty positions in systems biology/biostatistics or genetics/genomics. Trainees benefit from a close relationship with the HSPH Department of Biostatistics and the BWH Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. More than 85% of our postdoctoral trainee graduates in the past 12 years are active in research, and 68% of them have obtained an NIH K-series grant or similar mentored award.