First year, fellows will select a research mentor and complete a research proposal. Trainees select their research program in either basic laboratory research or clinical/translational research. Mentors and mentoring committee members can be from any Duke department and are not limited to the Pediatrics department or the school of medicine. For example, mentors are available in the Adult Pulmonary Division, the Children’s Health & Discovery Institute, and the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
In years two and three, clinical responsibilities are decreased compared to year one to allow the fellows to work on their scholarly project. Fellows who qualify can apply to Duke T32 programs and are expected to present the results of their research at a national meeting and publish these results.
Research training is closely mentored by the primary research mentor, who meets frequently with the trainee, and by a Scholarship Oversight Committee, which convenes twice per year to review the trainee's research progress and advise the trainee and his/her mentor. The research project should lead to:
- Acquisition of research skills;
- Presentation of an abstract by the trainee at a national meeting;
- Publication of a paper in a peer-reviewed journal, with the trainee as first author.