Chicago-Ibadan Partnership for Interdisciplinary Research Training

APPLICATIONS DUE: December 15^th, 2013

The Chicago-Ibadan International Partnership for Interdisciplinary Research Training in Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Disorders Across the Lifespan offer opportunities for training to build local capacity for patient oriented research in Nigeria and across Sub-Saharan Africa – NIH funded D43 Training Program. This opportunity is open to all members of the University of Ibadan academic community. Selected participants for training in the US will be paid a generous stipend to cover travel and living expenses in Chicago for the duration of training.

The goal of the training program is to propel clinical research in chronic non-communicable disorders through advanced clinical training, complemented by several areas of research training including essentials of patient oriented research, genetics, epigenetics, pharmacogenetics, immunology, behavioral science, economics, health education, bioinformatics, etc. While the focus of this program is to train clinicians and other health professionals in research methodology, the program encompasses several methodological areas applicable to NCDs. The program will adhere to the following principles: 1) Build research training capacity locally, 2) Create and sustain regional Centers of Excellence in specific programs, 3) Provide core services for translational research e.g. tissue banking, DNA, RNA processing, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics services, protocol development, 4) Develop projects that foster innovation and interdisciplinary collaborations, 5) Build community engagement and advocacy, and 6) Develop plans for sustainability and entrepreneurship. Continue 

Only candidates who plan to return and work in Nigeria will be admitted to this D43 training program.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Medium-Term Training in Chicago (1 - 3 months)

Medium-term training awards will be highly selective and open to clinical researchers with demonstrable research career interests at the junior or mid-career faculty level (Senior Registrar, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Pharmacists, Nurses). Full Professors are not eligible unless they are interested in changing fields and learning new research methodologies. The following describes opportunities available for medium-term trainees:

University of Chicago (UC) Summer Intensive Courses. UC offers a variety of courses during the summer. The program’s summer intensive course provides three track options: a social science track, a biological science track and a clinical ethics track. We encourage trainees to develop expertise in one of the three tracks. Details of the summer courses are listed/itemized below. Each is a 9-week course and credits from each course can be applied towards the Master of Science in Health Studies for Clinical Professionals at the University of Chicago, if accepted.

1. Summer Program for Outcomes Research Training (SPORT): This course is an intensive introduction to outcomes research for fellows and junior faculty and includes coursework in health services research, clinical epidemiology, research methods, and biostatistics, as well as the opportunity to participate in a workshop designed to help participants develop a research proposal that could form the basis of an NIH or other career development award.
2. Biological Intensive Summer Training: This course (July-September) is designed to introduce clinical researchers to a series of rigorous exercises in problem solving from the perspective of cancer genetics/genomics and molecular/cell biology. The format is a mixture of didactic lectures, laboratory exercises, and journal article synthesis.
3. Clinical Medical Ethics Intensive Summer Training (ESIT): This is designed to introduce clinicians and health professionals to Clinical Medical Ethics at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. It encompasses topics in religion, philosophy, medicine and society, and research ethics, and provides a counterpart to the West African Bioethics training at the University of Ibadan (UI).

Long-Term Global Health Scholars Training (6 months – 2 years)

These are open to relatively new investigators who are committed to developing research skills. Participants will have varying opportunities to engage in long-term training, either in-country within the programs offered by the Center for Reproductive and Population Health (CRPH) at the College of Medicine and Center for Drug Discovery, Development and production, Faculty of Pharmacy, as well as other relevant departments at the University of Ibadan, or at the University of Chicago.

Through CRPH, participants in Ibadan can obtain advanced degrees from 1) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (MHS in Population Health, MSc in Reproductive Biology, Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Population and Reproductive Health and Certificate in Strategic Leadership and Management for Population and Reproductive Health research training and services); 2) Department of Health Promotion and Education (MPH in Population and Reproductive Health Education; 3) Department of Epidemiology, Medical Statistics and Environmental Health (MPH degree in Medical Demography, MSc in Epidemiology, MSc in Biostatistics, MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics); 4) Department of Community Medicine (MPH in Community and Family Health, MSc in Field Epidemiology, MPH in Reproductive and Family Health; 5)Department of Human Nutrition (MPH in Population and Reproductive Health Nutrition); 6) Institute of Child Health (PGD in Child Health, MPH in Child Health and Adolescent Health; and through Centre for Drug Discovery, Development & Production (CDDDP) 1)Postgraduate Diploma in Drug Development & Production and Masters in Drug development & Regulatory Pharmacy (DDRP); and 2) Certificate Courses in Research Methodology, Computer Applications in Scientific Research, Proposal writing and Manuscript generation, and Clinical Drug Trial Certificate Course in the Centre for Drug Discovery, Development & Production (CDDDP). Current PhD students in the D43 targets areas can also be supported for their program.

Current PhD students in the D43 targets areas can also be supported for their program.

The University of Chicago can provide additional avenues for long-term training as described below:

1. Sandwich PhD program. This will allow current PhD students from UI to carry out clinical, basic or population research and continue advanced courses at UC towards a PhD at UI. While a Master’s degree can be awarded to qualified candidates in Chicago, the PhD candidates will be expected to return home to complete their dissertation.
2. Master of Science in Health Studies for Clinical Professionals (MSCP) from the Institute of Translational Medicine and Department of Health Studies, UC. This covers theory, methods, and concepts of biostatistics, epidemiology, and health services research needed to design and carry out clinical and epidemiologic research programs. It is designed to enhance individuals who already have doctoral-level expertise in medicine or a related clinical discipline. The program is a yearlong and begins in June of each year. The GRE exam is a requirement for application.
3. Postdoctoral Fellowship. This is designed for physicians, pharmacists, nurses or other health professionals who have completed doctorate sub-specialty training (PhD or MBBS) within the last seven years of commencement of the start of the program and who seek postdoctoral training for a career in clinical and translational research (7 years after the MBBS or PhD degree). It is a highly mentored training in clinical and translational research. No degree will be awarded but trainees will be expected to conduct laboratory based bench research or to participate in intensive data analysis leading to high impact publications and NIH fundable proposals.

APPLICATION

i. Application Review

Applicants should submit a paginated application packet with the following information:

1. A title page with the name of the applicant, title of the research project, name of a primary mentor and names of other members of a Multidisciplinary Mentoring Committee

2. An abstract of the proposed research

3. NIH Bio sketch (See appendix A for template sample; for electronic version, email contacts below)

4. A statement of the applicant’s career goals (limit one page)

5. A statement of any proposed interactions between basic and clinical investigators and why proposed research is translational in nature

6. A research proposal not to exceed 5 pages (A4, font size of 12 in Times New Roman) including:

a. Specific Aims

b. Significance

c. Innovation

d. Research Methods

e. Impact

f. References*

g. Timetable or Timeline*

h. Budget outlining the personnel and supplies allocations, and justification. Applicants *

* Items f-g does not count towards the 5-page limit

7. Two letters of support from Mentors. Including NIH Bio sketches from the applicant’s proposed primary mentor and additional mentoring team members.

8. A letter of support from the Head of Department outlining the Department’s plans for career development of the applicant and how support from the Training fits into those plans. It should not reiterate the applicant’s C.V.

9. Two recent publications

APPLICATION (for MSCP)

Please visit http://itm.uchicago.edu/education/graduate-studies/masters/ for application details. All applications MUST first be submitted to the D43 program office at the email addresses below.

ii. Selection Criteria

The academic and intellectual background, the motivation, drive and commitment of the candidate to a career in either basic or clinical research in oncology or other chronic non-communicable disorders across the lifespan will be critical. The criteria for selecting successful candidates will include assessment of the mentee’s potential, the dedication to translational research, the degree of support from the department, and the level of enthusiasm recorded in the recommendation letters from the mentors and commitment to career development from the Head of Department.

a. Medium-Term Trainee Selection

In general, criteria for selecting Trainees will be:

· Superior quality of the candidate with emphasis on prior productivity and potential for success as a translational researcher, as well as a clearly defined research project.

· Scientific merit of the candidate’s proposed work.

· Potential for applicant to contribute to at least one of the priority disease areas outlined above.

· Qualifications and track record of the primary mentor and other members of the Multidisciplinary Mentoring Committee.

Applicants should promote collaborations among clinical and basic scientists at UI and UC or between scientists at UI and outside institutions. Up to four awards will be available per year.

b. Long-Term Trainee Selection

Trainees will be required to have a clear understanding of research in oncology or other chronic NCDs across the lifespan and foster collaborations between basic, social and clinical disciplines in translational research in Ibadan or Nigeria. Priority will be given to trainees (clinicians, biomedical or social scientists) in one of the following areas; Nursing, Maternal Child Health; Sickle Cell Disease; Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics; Multidisciplinary Cancer Management; Imaging Science; Health Communication; Nutrition, Basic Laboratory Science and Population research. Applicants will prepare innovative, high impact projects for completion during the long-term training in Chicago. Upon completion of the training program and prior to returning to Nigeria, scholars will be expected to develop an NIH- fundable formal proposal for continuation of their individual projects in Nigeria. A crucial expectation of the awardee is that preliminary data will be developed which will serve as the basis for an NIH-level grant application in oncology or other chronic NCDs. Investigators who receive a re-entry Research Award are expected to establish a translational research program, which can be sustained beyond the period of initial support. Up to two fully funded positions will be available per year.

Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Application deadline is December 15^th, 2013

Applications should be prepared as a single pdf file with filename as

MEDIUM_surname_firstinitial.pdf or LONG_surname_firstinitial.pdf

Please email applications to: Omobolanle Oyedele at omob_oye@yahoo.com AND

Nkem Chineme at: ndike@bsd.uchicago.edu

Appendix A:

Program Director/Principal Investigator (Last, First, Middle):