UNC Doris Duke Clinical Research Training Program. 

The UNC-CRF program is divided into an intensive research fellowship year and a post-fellowship year. The objectives of the program are:

1. To understand, and participate in, the scientific process from hypothesis development to analysis of results.

2. To become aware of the regulations and regulatory bodies governing clinical research.

3. To develop data presentation skills: poster development, manuscript preparation, and oral presentation skills.

4. To understand the clinical research track in academic medicine.

5. To learn, and participate in, the peer review process.

6. To develop a facility with data analysis.

7. To expose the fellows to state of the art research techniques that will influence clinical and translational research of the future.

Fellowship Year:   The goal of the program for the first year is to provide, in a carefully mentored setting, both didactic learning and research training as a first step in producing the next generation of patient-oriented physician researchers.  Students will be required to participate in the GCRC two-week course in “The Responsible Conduct of Research” and “Introduction to Clinical Research,” the Clinical Research Curriculum Seminar Series and monthly meetings with the Program Leader as a group and individually.

Research Project:  An unusual feature of our program is that each student will be required to develop a specific, focused research protocol, steer the protocol through the IRB and GCRC approval process, conduct the study, and analyze the data. Each of the listed mentors has agreed to work closely with students to accomplish this goal. It is important to emphasize that all of the mentors involved with the CRF program are senior, independent researchers and each was selected according to the following criteria: extensive experience in mentoring trainees to research independence and peer-reviewed grant support in a patient-oriented research area which lends itself to a one-year student project. We expect that the day-to-day management of the student clinical project will often be under the guidance of a more junior faculty member of the clinical research team, but that the senior faculty member will make a commitment to reviewing the progress of the CRF student on a regular basis, meeting with the scholar to discuss the experience, and taking part in the student’s annual review process. 

Optional Didactic Training Available:  In addition to participation in the mandatory programs described above, students will attend activities deemed by the mentor to supplement their experience. These activities could include: attendance at national meetings, lab meetings, grand rounds or other departmental functions. Students also have access to more formal academic courses offered through the UNC system and a variety of less structured and shorter training programs designed to teach specific skills such as data management or scientific writing.

Post-Fellowship Year:  The third and final progress report will ask the CRF student and his/her mentor to describe and to operationalize activities for the following year. For example, if the CRF student wishes to continue his research as he/she completes medical school, the third quarter report should emphasize that contact has been made with the mentor and that a protocol has been developed. Likewise, planned presentations of abstracts or the manner in which manuscripts will be prepared after the student has returned to medical school will be described in these reports. A budget will also be submitted with the final report. Budgets for the post-fellowship year may include additional coursework at the home institution, research costs for planned projects, and travel costs for both presentations and to clinical research meetings. The UNC CRF will maintain contact with the CRF students and be able to report numbers of presentations, publications, continuing research, and residency plans for each of the students. We will use our Student Affairs contacts at UNC and affiliated medical schools to track students through residency and beyond.