Research training in respiratory biology

The objective of our competing renewal application for the University of Chicago Research Training Program in Respiratory Biology is to prepare young scientists and physician scientists to pursue research careers addressing mechanisms and treatment of human disease, with a focus on respiratory pathobiology. The cohesiveness of this interdisciplinary Program stems from the highly collaborative nature of our 45 well-funded faculty from 9 departments across the University of Chicago, who together address the four respiratory disease domains – Airways Disease; Interstitial Lung Disease and Lung Transplantation; Critical Illness (including Acute Lung Injury); and Sleep and Hypoxia – employing a range of modern research approaches that center on Immunology, Physiology, and Microbiome; Genetics and Epigenetics; Data Science, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence; Clinical Outcomes; Healthcare Delivery; and Ethics and Implementation. The Program Directors are Gokhan M. Mutlu, MD and Yun Fang, PhD, with Associate Directors Valerie Press, MD (Mentorship and Career Development) and Julian Solway, MD. Internal and External Advisors provide oversight and continuity of review, and an Admissions/Steering Committee oversee trainee admissions and reviews trainee progress. We request funding for 8 post-doctoral trainees. PhD, MD, and MD/PhD trainees are enrolled and trained together. Collaboration of basic and clinical scientists on research further enhances the integrative and translational nature of our program. All MD fellows will perform full-time research for at least 2 years, and will devote not more than 10% time to clinical training while supported by this Training Program. Training consists of 5 major components: a Research Project performed under the direct supervision of faculty co-mentors; a Core Curriculum of robust seminar series and courses with additional, tailored formal coursework; Core Competencies that includes scientific communication, grant writing, mentoring, and responsible, rigorous, and reproducible conduct of research; Multidisciplinary Research; and Individualized Career Development Planning. Prior trainees from this Training Program have developed successful independent research careers in large proportion. Refinements presented here should further enhance the likelihood of success of future trainees.