San Antonio OAIC - Research Education Component (REC)

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT - RESEARCH EDUCATION COMPONENT The main objective of the Research Education Component (REC) is to develop future leaders in translational geroscience by supporting mentoring, research training, and career development for early-stage investigators to transition to independent research careers. Consistent with OAIC goals, the REC will train Scholars with crosscutting expertise in translational geroscience, health issues unique to South Texas, team science, and program leadership, incorporating aging biology, clinical gerontology, drug development, and clinical trial design. Our ultimate goal is to support Scholars in sustainable careers in translational geroscience with high potential for impacting the health and well-being of the older population. Thus, the Specific Aims of the REC are to: Aim 1: Oversee the recruitment, selection, monitoring, and evaluation of a highly qualified, dedicated, and outstanding group of early-career REC Scholars, promoting their development into clinical and translational geroscientists who can effectively lead and contribute to interdisciplinary research teams across the spectrum of medicine, nursing, psychology, pharmacy, and other health care disciplines. Our approach will foster development of a geroscience workforce that reflects our South Texas and US population demographics. Aim 2: Provide multidisciplinary mentoring teams that guide the progress of each REC Scholar’s research and career development. Scholars and their mentors will develop individualized structured research education plans with clearly defined responsibilities and milestones based on their research and career objectives and focused on cross-training in translational geroscience. Aim 3: Promote networking and cross-enrichment to assure integration of the REC Scholars’ experiences and career development trajectories with all San Antonio OAIC programs and the national OAIC network. Aim 4: Develop a new initiative – the Pipeline Physician Scholar Program. We seek to identify a broader range of geroscience-oriented physicians in training (i.e., clinical fellows). REC will offer them opportunities to participate in scholarly activities and research supported by the OAIC. As they approach an early-stage faculty position, we will encourage and facilitate their entry into a full 2-year RL5 Scholar position. Our REC program will build on its record of success and impact through: 1) enhancing clinical and translational research knowledge and experience of basic scientists; 2) developing mechanistic research skills of clinicianinvestigators; and 3) facilitating cross-disciplinary collaborations. Our REC skill-development activities are integrated with those of the Clinical and Translational Science Award K12 program. The REC is co-led by Robert Clark, MD, Peter Hornsby, PhD, Rebeca Wong, PhD, and Sandra Sanchez-Reilly, MD, all national research and academic leaders with complementary skill sets, providing REC Scholars with experienced mentoring to promote integration into institutional and external programs across the South Texas region and the US.