Integrated Training in Anesthesiology Research (NIH T32 GM08600)

This program is designed to provide postdoctoral fellows with research training devoted to improving care of the anesthetized/critically ill patient by advancing scientific knowledge in the field. The Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center has intensively invested its resources in development of multidisciplinary laboratory and clinical research environments to offer state-of-the-art research training experiences. We have also innovated in anesthesiology residency training to provide a research continuum that provides a highly effective preparatory phase prior to T32 enrollment. The T32 program offers offers a distinguished training faculty (see below for current faculty listing). Additional qualified faculty may be recruited to accommodate areas of research training consistent with trainee research interests.

The T32 training program involves a 2-3 year continuum during which trainees work under the close and direct supervision of a program faculty member on research projects of mutual interest. Emphasis is placed on learning responsible research skills, achieving mastery of the literature, independent hypothesis generation, experimental design, data analysis, presentation of research findings and competition for extramural funding. Trainees are encouraged to exploit relationships established with members of the program faculty for both enrichment of research skill repertoires and development of long-term collaborative relationships.

The Program Director, the Research Council of senior scientists, and the departmental chair, direct the program. Trainees formally report to the program leadership at quarterly intervals for guidance of trainee performance and progress in achieving program goals.

Trainees are sought from a national pool of eligible candidates. The primary focus of this program is the research training of select post-doctoral fellows having the goal of substantive progression toward independent investigator status.  The program also is the cornerstone of our departmental research training endeavor setting high standards for investigative training offered to medical students, residents, junior faculty, and visiting scholars who participate in the research training process.

Requisite Qualifications

• Completion of MD (or equivalent) and/or PhD degrees.
• US citizen or permanent resident.

Terms of Training

• The program allows up to 36 months eligibility, with stipends awarded per NIH guidelines based on number of years since completion of terminal degree.
• Qualified individuals may also participate in limited clinical practice.

We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, ¹ those with disabilities, ² and those from disadvantaged backgrounds,³  who meet the Requisite Qualifications, to investigate and apply for this research training opportunity. Referrals to such individuals will be appreciated and contacted by the Program Director.

¹Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see data at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27, and the report Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering). The following racial and ethnic groups have been shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research: Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

²Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. See NSF data at, http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/2013/pdf/tab7-5_updated_2014_10.pdf.  For further information on Duke accommodations please see: https://access.duke.edu.

³Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as

• Individuals who come from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds. These thresholds are based on family size, published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census; adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml
• Individuals who come from an educational environment such as that found in certain rural or inner-city environments that has demonstrably and directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career.

For further information, please contact the Program Director, David Warner, MD.

Training Faculty