Midwest DDRCC Alliance Conference (Hosted by the Cleveland DDRCC)

PROJECT SUMMARY The goal of this application is to obtain additional funds for the Midwest Digestive Disease Research Core Centers (DDRCC) Alliance Conference to be held during in December 2024. The Midwest DDRCC Alliance (MDA) is currently comprised of five NIDDK-funded DDRCCs located in the Midwest: Case Western Reserve

University, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Mayo Clinic, University of Chicago, and Washington University in St Louis. The Midwest DDRCC Alliance Conference (MDAC) was initiated in 2013 to promote the career development of postdoctoral and junior faculty members and to provide a forum for cross-fertilization of

knowledge and research progress among the participating institutions. The conference’s scientific program is comprised of junior faculty research projects that seek to advance the understanding of biological systems influencing digestive health and disease. The requested funds will allow the conference to continue to provide

opportunities for junior investigators' career development, mentoring, and networking and to familiarize them with core services and scientific and technology expertise available at the MDA partner sites. Finally, a major component of this application is to promote careers of underrepresented populations in the scientific research

enterprise as they seek to become investigators in digestive and liver disease. We will feature successful several senior level investigators from diverse backgrounds to serve as role models and mentors and to expand our community of researchers interested in digestive and liver disease.