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aim of the training program is to select and educate a new breed of
creative investigators fluent in both the clinical aspects of trauma
care and in the modern techniques and approaches available, including
bioengineering, for clinical investigations and clinical applications
in burns and trauma research. As such, the program requires contributions
from many disciplines and thus goes beyond the curricula of individual
academic disciplines by setting its own guidelines for coursework,
seminars, laboratory requirements and the character of research activities.
Trainee Recruitment
Six postdoctoral trainee positions are funded currently through
the research training program, up from four positions, due to a
progressive increase in the applicant pool of qualified surgeons,
internists, pediatricians, pathologists, and other physicians over
the past several years. Applicants are recruited from postdoctoral
applicants with MD or PhD degrees in biological or physical sciences
using advertisements in professional journals (e.g. Science,
FASEB Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, and appropriate
engineering and other science journals) and in mailings to academic
programs, introductions at scientific meetings, and by personal
communications and recommendations.
Evaluation of Applications
The applicant is required to submit the following documents and
information prior to the interview:
- curriculum vitae
- graduate or medical school transcripts
- three letters of reference
- specific research training plans from the training program
faculty sponsor
- evidence of citizenship or permanent residency status
The applicant is asked to describe the motivation(s) for applying
to the program and his/her anticipated future commitment to an academic
career that includes research in burns and trauma.
Selection of Trainees
The Research Training Executive Committee, consisting of the Principal
Investigator, the Program Director and key members of the training
faculty, evaluates each application. The applicant is evaluated
and accepted into the program on the basis of the interview, scholastic
record and recommendations, the relevance of the anticipated research
program to burns and trauma, and the long-range commitment of the
applicant to research. Over the 5 years, the number of MD and PhD
candidates, including minority candidates, who have applied for
admission to the training program, has increased considerably. The
NIH measures our success of efforts to recruit and retain minority
trainees. In association with MGH institutional efforts to recruit
minority health professionals, the research program makes available
advertisements in minority publications, mailings to chairpersons
of the departments of medicine at institutions with substantial
minority populations, and contacts with program directors of the
Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program and the Minority
Biomedical Research Symposia (MBRS). In 2004-2007, our research
training program consists of two MD’s and four PhD’s,
including two female and three minority trainees.
For more information about the research training program, please
contact:
Mehmet Toner, Ph.D.
Burns and Trauma Research Training Program (T32)
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit St., GRB 1302
Boston, MA 02114
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