Welcome from the Program Director

The need for a productive, rewarding research experience during residency and fellowship training is now endorsed by accreditation bodies such as the ABIM and ACGME, the teaching faculty, and most importantly, those in postgraduate training.  The Harrison Translational Research Training Program is designed to enable easy entry into a carefully designed menu of research projects that are of interest and of relevance to a physician’s medical education.  Although, it is recognized that many residents and fellows will not undertake careers involving basic, clinical, or translational research, the experience of research training should be beneficial to whatever career the physician-in-training ultimately chooses.

The Program is designed to offer training in core techniques for several different disciplines.  Several unique and diversified training “modules”, described herein on the website, are available.  With the help of mentoring faculty and staff in Internal Medicine, trainees will master these techniques in 1-3 month rotations, and apply them within the context of a more comprehensive research project headed by a faculty advisor.  Upon successful completion of training rotation(s), the resident or fellow will have the option of further pursuing the research project within the laboratory of the faculty advisor.  Plans regarding the nature and scope of training and the specific research project are established shortly after application and acceptance into the Program.

For junior faculty seeking to ultimately develop an independent research project, the Program will support basic training in techniques and methodology development.  The nature of this training plan is determined in discussions between the applicant and a Mentoring Committee established by the Internal Medicine Research Committee.

Objectives of training rotations include presentation of the research project to Internal Medicine faculty and housestaff during Morning Report or Noon Conference.  If the project is of sufficient merit, it will be submitted as an abstract for an appropriate meeting or as a manuscript for publication.  Presentations or publications of this nature obviously enrich the opportunity of the trainee for entry into academic careers.

It is the hope of Dr. DuBose and the Internal Medicine Research Committee that the Harrison Translational Research Training Program will serve as the nidus by which we develop a new generation of physician-scientists and clinical investigators sought by the current NIH Roadmap.  We are confident that this program will be able to direct the energies and talents of our young physicians to both enhance residency and fellowship training and successfully evolve our research culture at WFUHS.

Sincerely,

Raymond Penn, Ph.D.
Program Director