The National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) was a one-year education program aimed at highly qualified, research-oriented medical and dental students wanting to learn the theory and practice of clinical and translational research that ran from 1997 to 2012. [1] [2] It covered among other topics clinical research design, data analysis, bioethics, and critical review of the medical literature; but most of each fellow's time was devoted to conducting supervised clinical or translational research in their area of interest. [2]
NIH clinician-scientists guided fellows in developing their own learning plans which involved collaborating with principal investigators in NIH intramural laboratories and in clinical areas at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland; and this research work was complemented by seminars and journal clubs with peers, and engagement with patients enrolled in investigational protocols. [2]
The program trained 310 medical and dental students in 15 different NIH institutes/centers on the intramural campus of the NIH in Bethesda; and the last class was completed in 2012. [2]
NIH Director at the time, Harold Varmus, inaugurated the program to offer creative, research-oriented students the chance to engage in clinical research early in their careers. From 1998 it was supported jointly by the NIH and the Foundation for the NIH, using money provided by Pfizer Inc. By 2004 it was accepting 30 students annually, supported by the NIH Common Fund (formerly the NIH Roadmap) as part of its Re-engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise theme. [2]
In summer 2012, a new program, the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program, commenced, expanding on the aims and focus of the CRTP and the HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program and accepting medical, dental, and veterinary students. [2]
A number of one-year research training programs have arisen in the US, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Medical Fellows Program (1984–present), the HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program (1989–present), the Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship Program, and the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Foundation Research Fellowship Program. [1]
A 2003 analysis of early career outcomes from the HHMI Medical Fellows and HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Programs found that alumni of these programs were more likely to receive NIH post-doctoral awards, and unpublished data from the NIH CRTP indicate that more than 30% of alumni spend over 25% of their time doing translational or clinical research. [1]
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research.
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is one of the institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.0 billion in tax revenue per year to advancing the understanding of the following issues: development and progression of disease, diagnosis of disease, treatment of disease, disease prevention, reduction of health care disparities within the American population, and advancing the effectiveness of the US medical system. NHLBI's Director is Gary H. Gibbons (2012–present).
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's mission is to conduct basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.
Translational medicine is defined by the European Society for Translational Medicine (EUSTM) as "an interdisciplinary branch of the biomedical field supported by three main pillars: benchside, bedside, and community". The goal of TM is to combine disciplines, resources, expertise, and techniques within these pillars to promote enhancements in prevention, diagnosis, and therapies. Accordingly, translational medicine is a highly interdisciplinary field, the primary goal of which is to coalesce assets of various natures within the individual pillars in order to improve the global healthcare system significantly.
Harvey James Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called "non-A, non-B hepatitis" caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.
Wake Forest School of Medicine is the medical school of Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the academic medical center whose clinical arm is Wake Forest Baptist Health. In 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked Wake Forest School of Medicine 50th best for research in the nation and 64th best for primary care. The School of Medicine also ranks in the top third of U.S. medical schools in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Stanley J. Sarnoff was an American doctor who produced over 200 papers and 60 patents during his long career. His work included the development of such widely used devices as the "auto-injector," which included the AtroPen, which was filled with Atropine Hydrochloride as an anti-nerve-gas antidote for military use; the LidoPen, which was filled with Lidocaine hydrochloride, for cardiac patients, the EpiPen, containing Epinephrine, for people whose allergies cause anaphylaxis, and the 24-hour cardiac monitor. In addition to his own work, he was devoted to philanthropy and, though the creation of The Stanley J Sarnoff Endowment for Cardiovascular Science, he has helped to inspire medical students and cardiology fellows from around the country to pursue cardiovascular research.
The Creighton University School of Dentistry is the dental school of Creighton University. It is located in the city of Omaha, Nebraska. It was one of the first dental schools in the United States, having been established in 1905.
Edison T. Liu, M.D., is the president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory, and was the president of Human Genome Organization, HUGO from 2007-2013.
Charles L. Sawyers is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator who holds the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Chair of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). HOPP is a program created in 2006 that comprises researchers from many disciplines to bridge clinical and laboratory discoveries.
Eric D. Green is an American genomics researcher who had significant, start-to-finish involvement in the Human Genome Project. He is the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a position he has held since 2009. Green is an ardent St. Louis Cardinals fan.
The Hughes Scholarship was offered by Hughes Aircraft Company, a major aerospace and defense contractor, to exceptionally well qualified employees seeking to complete an undergraduate degree in the sciences. Participants in the program were called Hughes Scholars. Only a small number of such scholarships were ever awarded before the program was discontinued following the sale of the company to General Motors by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1985.
The NIH Clinical Center is a hospital solely dedicated to clinical research at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The Clinical Center, known as Building 10, consists of the original part of the hospital, the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, and the newest addition, the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center. The two parts are connected to form one large building.
The NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) is the internal research program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), known for its synergistic approach to biomedical science. With 1,200 Principal Investigators and over 4,000 Postdoctoral Fellows conducting basic, translational, and clinical research, the NIH Intramural Research Program is the largest biomedical research institution on earth. The unique funding environment of the IRP facilitates opportunities to conduct both long-term and high-impact science that would otherwise be difficult to undertake. With rigorous external reviews ensuring that only the most outstanding research secures funding, the IRP is responsible for many scientific accomplishments, including the discovery of fluoride to prevent tooth decay, the use of lithium to manage bipolar disorder, and the creation of vaccines against hepatitis, Hemophilus influenzae (HIB), and human papillomavirus (HPV). In addition, the IRP has also produced or trained 21 Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
Jason X.-J. Yuan is an American physician scientist whose research interests center on pulmonary vascular pathobiology and pulmonary hypertension. His current research is primarily focused on the pathogenic mechanisms of pulmonary vascular diseases and right heart failure.
Joan Y. Reede is an American physician. She is Harvard Medical School's inaugural dean for diversity and community partnership, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. She is known for creating programs that mentor and support minority physicians and female physicians. Alumni of her programs have created a 501(c)(3) organization called The Reede Scholars in her honor.
Niki M. Moutsopoulos is a Greek periodontist and immunologist. She is a senior investigator in the oral immunity and infection section at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Moutsopoulos specializes in oral immunology and periodontitis. Her research program focuses on host-microbial interactions that can drive chronic inflammatory responses and tissue destruction in the oral cavity.
Hatice Nida Sen is an ophthalmologist researching mechanisms involved in different forms of human uveitis. She is a clinical investigator at the National Eye Institute.
Rosandra N. Kaplan is an American pediatric oncologist and scientist specialized in translational and clinical research on the mechanisms of cancer spread. She is a principal investigator and head of the tumor microenvironment branch at the National Cancer Institute.