Master's degree in clinical research to enroll students for fall 2009

The TraCS Institute, a primary sponsor of the program, was established with support from a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Institute’s goal is to facilitate interdisciplinary research and collaboration among researchers in various fields, both inside and outside the UNC campus system.

Dr. Etta Pisano, Kenan Distinguished Professor of radiology and biomedical engineering, director of the UNC Biomedical Research Imaging Center and vice dean for academic affairs at the School of Medicine, directs the Institute.

The MSCR is the first of several new TraCS Education Core programs, all of which are being designed to meet the needs of the next generation of scientists who will be expected to solve complicated health problems by working together as members of interdisciplinary research teams.

Dr. Eugene Orringer, professor of medicine and executive associate dean for faculty affairs and faculty development in the School of Medicine, directs the Education, Training, and Career Development Core of the TraCS Institute.

“The NIH has now awarded a total of 38 CTSA grants to many of our best and most distinguished research institutions, and we here at UNC are honored to be among this group,” Orringer says.

“At a recent meeting, the leaders of the 38 CTSAs defined the four central themes that each institution is expected to focus on. Theme number 2 (Enhancing the training and career development of clinical and translational scientists) is the primary responsibility of our Core,” he said.

Through a curriculum that includes formal courses, seminars, small group activities, workshops and experiential learning, the MSCR degree is designed to help the working professional develop skills necessary for a successful career as a principal investigator and/or a collaborator in clinical/translational research. Courses for the MSCR will be drawn from a number of health affairs schools across the UNC campus, and students may select elective courses that complement their specific research areas.

“The MSCR will be a critical new training program that integrates clinical, epidemiologic and other sciences in a holistic manner,” says Dr. Andrew Olshan, chair of the Department of Epidemiology, in which the degree program is housed.

“These interdisciplinary skills are increasingly essential for modern research,” Olshan says, “and individuals with such training are in great demand. The Department of Epidemiology and other units in the Gillings School of Global Public Health are very excited to partner with the School of Medicine in this important effort.”

Historically, scientists have been trained to conduct research within their individual fields of inquiry. However, complex biomedical and health-related problems require more comprehensive solutions as well as a quicker transit from the laboratory to clinical trials to the practice setting. By training these junior investigators to work together on interdisciplinary research teams, we are confident that the MSCR will facilitate this process.

Recently, the National Institutes of Health, long a major funder of health research, has recognized the imperative for interdisciplinary research. “Specifically,” an entry on the agency’s website notes, “this initiative is intended to produce new clinical research leaders who can cross the boundaries of their disciplines and draw upon the strengths of other fields. Clinical research includes epidemiologic and natural history studies, patient-oriented research, clinical trials, and outcomes research.”

The MSCR program plans to enroll students for the fall 2009 semester. More information about degree requirements can soon be found on the Department of Epidemiology Web pages.

Note: The National Institutes of Health website entry cited in paragraph 7 is found at http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/clinicalresearch/clinicaltraining/futureleaders.asp.

For information about applying to the master’s of science in clinical research program, contact Carmen Woody, registrar in the Department of Epidemiology, at (919) 966-7458 or carmen_woody@unc.edu.

TrACs Institute contact: Susan Pusek, director of education programs, (919) 966-0128 or suspusek@med.unc.edu

UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu.