UC Davis Clinician Neuroscientist Development Program

Abstract The UC Davis R25 program seeks to contribute to the improved care of patients with neurological disease by training neurology and neurosurgery residents to be clinician-scientists able to develop new treatments for nervous system disorders and to attract individual career research funding. Historically, UC Davis has had a

strong commitment to neuroscience, excellent departments of neurology and neurological surgery, and several renowned centers of excellence, including the Center for Neuroscience, Center for Mind & Brain, and the MIND Institute. However, the clinical neuroscience training programs have lacked the resources to take full advantage

of this remarkable neuroscience research environment. The proposed R25 program will capitalize on these institutional strengths to enable a resident research training program with the following features:  A uniquely diverse faculty in two highly integrated and coordinated clinical neuroscience departments;

 Direction by two clinician scientists highly experienced in resident training and research mentorship;  A program with high impact research training within the usual period of residency and fellowship, thus avoiding extending the duration of training for clinician scientists choosing an academic track;

 Mentoring of each participant by a pair of faculty members who have received special training in research and career mentorship;  Emphasis on participation by women and under-represented minorities;  A curriculum that takes advantage of a unique set of educational resources available at UC Davis through

the Clinical Translational Science Center which is supported by the NIH CTSA program;  A highly fertile neuroscience environment with vast expertise among the faculty, enormous resources and a legacy of accomplishment;  Funding and other resources contributed by the university, school of medicine, and departments

specifically to support the resident training program; The program will provide intensive training and mentoring in neuroscience research within redesigned training programs for neurology and neurosurgery residents, particularly those whose potential is historically underdeveloped. This program is distinguished by the strength in neuroscience of its faculty and institutions,

innovation in training program structures, and the uniqueness of its emphasis on diversity. It will fully exploit UC Davis's tremendously strong Neuroscience community as its training environment. And it will mine the university's rich racial, socioeconomic, and gender diversity in identifying and training clinician neuroscientists

whose potential would otherwise go under-developed. Development of this potential will promote the nation's health through their individual scientific discoveries and through the discoveries of those of similar demographic features for whom they will serve as role models.