Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics || University of Pennsylvania

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The education arm of the ITMAT is under the Direction of Emma Meagher, MD. ITMAT offers several different training opportunities as described below.

The Patient Oriented Research Training Program (PORT) is a 9 month introductory program to POR methodology. It consists of two main components. The first is a series of didactic lectures and workshops held on a weekly basis from September to May. The lecture series is organized into modules and covers the following main content areas: Module I Trial Design and Protocol Development; Module II Ethics and Regulatory Issues in POR; Module III Analytical Methodology and Descriptive Statistics; Module IV Grants, Grantsmanship and Career Development. The second component of PORT program requires that the participant be actively involved in a clinical research project of their own design.

The main purpose of this program is to provide a practical applications course for individuals starting out on their research careers. Ideally this course provides an internal framework and vital resource for those early in their clinical research careers which will facilitate them in navigating the PENN research environment. Further information can be obtained directly from the PORT web site.

A Masters of Science degree program in Translational Research (MTR) is also offered by ITMAT. This program is supported in part by a National Institutes of Health Mentored Career Development Award (K12 award). It consists of a series of 4 required course units, 4 elective course units, and 4 laboratory units. The duration of training is between 2 and 3 years. The classroom time is designed to be flexible. Degree granting is based on successful completion of course work and a successful thesis defense.

The purpose of this program is to improve the quality of translational research training by providing in depth instruction in the fundamental skills, methodology, and principles necessary for the well-trained independent clinical investigator. An additional goal of this program is to increase the number of translational researchers who are competitive in seeking research support and who are knowledgeable about the complex issues associated with conducting sound clinical research.

Applications for this program are received in March of each year for admission the following September. Further information can be obtained directly from the MTR web site.

CTSA/K12 Research Training Award
The CTSA K12 program is directed at junior faculty in the Dental, Medical, Nursing and Veterinary Schools. The program is directed towards providing salary support to protect the time for the initiation of a research career in addition to infrastructure to enable the pursuit of a Masters of Science degree in either translational research or epidemiology.

ITMAT Research Training Fellowships
ITMAT also offers 2 fellowship positions annually. Salary support up to $90,000 per year for a total of two years is provided for each position. The positions are open to individuals nearing the end of their clinical fellowship program at PENN or junior faculty within the first three years of their academic appointment. The goals of the program are to provide salary support to individuals that will facilitate protected time for the pursuit of research activities and to provide didactic training in research methodology. A required component of this fellowship will be completion of the Masters of Science in Translational Research. For details on how to submit an application please contact Marti Dandridge (215.349.8627) or Emma Meagher.

Office of Human Research
Additionally, ITMAT has a close affiliation with the School of Medicine's Office of Human Research (OHR) through its educational support. The mission of OHR is to support clinical research with a focus on research subject safety and data integrity. This mission is accomplished through the work of the three OHR divisions which focus on research education, operations, and regulatory compliance support.

The OHR Division of Research Education and Training works collaboratively with the Research Educational unit within ITMAT, sharing resources and integrating programs. The OHR Division of Research Operations is collaborating with ITMAT on the development of central support services to offer research teams assistance with trial administration and project management. For more information about the OHR, please visit the website.

Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics || University of Pennsylvania