Interdisciplinary Training Program in Lung Research

Acute and chronic lung diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. For many of these diseases, the fundamental pathobiology is not well understood and effective disease-modifying treatments are not available. This training program titled “Interdisciplinary Training Program in Lung Research” focuses on training researchers in basic mechanisms of lung disease and is committed to equipping young investigators with the skill set necessary to develop into successful scientists and academic leaders. The Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine (APCCM) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has a long, successful history in developing well-trained researchers who have the vision and the skills with which to embark on successful research careers. This program is associated with the newly formed Vanderbilt Lung Institute (VLI), which was developed to enhance collaborative multi-disciplinary clinical care and research related to respiratory disease. Dr. Timothy Blackwell (Director of APCCM and VLI) serves as Program Director. This training program, now in its 14th year, was designed to support 5 post-doctoral trainees per year (both MD. and PhD.) who show exceptional aptitude for successfully pursuing an academic research career. Trainees concentrate on one of five disease focused areas of existing expertise at VUMC: acute lung injury and host defense, asthma and airway disease, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, or perinatal lung disease over the course of 2-3 years of training. A customized mentoring team is formed for each trainee, consisting of a mentor with nationally recognized expertise in the area and a Research Advisory Committee to provide additional guidance, mentoring, and feedback. The trainee's experience is enhanced by interactions with other investigators and trainees in existing lung disease-focused research programs in the Division of APCCM, an extensive program of seminars and conferences, and coursework tailored to meet the needs of each trainee. As a result, each trainee attains the skills necessary to become a future leader in the field of lung research.