Expectations for Fellows
All fellows will be encouraged to attend appropriate seminars, conferences and journal clubs. The University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have a plethora of seminar series and journal clubs that fellows areWhat eligible to attend. In addition, we have established monthly junior researcher meetings with current postdoctoral trainees and K-award recipients at Bastyr that serve to provide data discussions, manuscript and proposal review and journal club more specifically tailored to CAM research. In addition, there is an annual one-day research retreat held at Bastyr University for the fellows, mentors and associated laboratory personnel. This is a day spent in discussion of the projects being conducted under the auspices of this grant, and each fellow will be expected to present a formal seminar on their work at the retreat. In addition, fellows are expected to present their work at regional and national scientific meetings (e.g. Society of Integrated Oncology, Neuroscience meetings, Pharmacognosy, natural products research meetings, American Association of Naturopathic Physicians annual meetings).
All fellows will be asked to write one or more research proposals (e.g. an NRSA or R21) for continuation of support beyond the period of time encompassed by this training grant. This will benefit the trainees by giving them experience in writing grant proposals and may also allow the recruitment of additional qualified trainees to the program.
Progress of each trainee will be carefully monitored and guided by the combined efforts of the Executive Committee and the co-mentors of the individual trainees. Fellows and mentors will write annual formal reports on the fellow's progress. The fellow will report on the development of their own project, their experience with the didactic elements of the program, and their assessment of the workload. They will also provide a description of their specific goals for the following year of their training. The mentors will similarly provide a written report of the fellow's progress and make recommendations about future coursework and training experiences which will contribute to the development of the trainee's career. While outcome assessments of the success of the proposed training program will take into account these in-progress evaluations, the most useful outcome measure will be the ability of the trainees to have their work published in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals and to write successful grant applications by the second or third year of their training period.
Research Training Mentors
To optimize the training experience, short term trainee applicants must get permission from a primary mentor to determine a specific project on which the student will work during the three-month training period. The applicant's statement of CAM research interest must outline those decisions concerning mentor and project. Also, the mentor must submit a letter of support.
Bastyr University Faculty
- Research Assistant Professor, School of Naturopathic Medicine
- Associate Research Scientist
- Assistant Research Scientist
Leanna Standish, PhD, ND, MS, LAc
- Principal Investigator, T32 Training Program
- Professor, School of Naturopathic Medicine
- Associate Professor, Department of Basic Science
External Faculty
M. Robyn Andersen, PhD, MPH
rander[at]fhcrc[dot]org
- Associate Member, Molecular Diagnostics Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- Affiliate Assistant Professor, Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington
Nora Disis, MD
tumorvac[at]uw[dot]edu
- Professor, Medicine/Oncology/Tumor Vaccine Group
- Center for Translational Medicine in Women's Health, University of Washington
Adam Drewnowski, PhD
adamdrew[at]u.washington[dot]edu
- Professor, Epidemiology and Medicine, University of Washington
- Director, Nutritional Science Program, University of Washington
- Adjunct Professor & Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Barbara A. Goff, MD
bgoff[at]u.washington[dot]edu
- Medical Director, Gynecologic Oncology Clinic, University of Washington
- Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington
David M. Hockenbery, MD
dhockenb[at]u.washington[dot]edu
- Associate Professor, Medicine, University of Washington
- Associate Member, Clinical Research and Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
David J. Kearney, MD
davidk[at]medicine.washington[dot]edu
- Associate Professor, Medicine, University of Washington
Kris V. Kowdley, MD
kkowdley[at]u.washington[dot]edu
- Clinical Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology/Hepatology, University of Washington
- Director of the Liver Center of Excellence at Virginia Mason Medical Center
Johanna W. Lampe, PhD, RD
jlampe[at]fhcrc[dot]org
- Full Member and Associate Division Director, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- Research Professor and Core Faculty, Interdisciplinary Program in Nutritional Sciences, University of Washington
Hailing Lu, MD, PhD
hlu[at]u.washington[dot]edu
- Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
Gerald Pollack
ghp[at]u.washington[dot]edu
- Professor, Bioengineering, University of Washington
Emily White, PhD
ewhite[at]fhcrc[dot]org
- Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington
- Associate Dean for Research, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington
Support for Postdoctoral Fellows
Each fellow will receive up to three years of training support, during which he or she will reciprocally choose to work with a team of two co-mentors, one from the University of Washington, Washington State University or the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the other from Bastyr University.
The benefit of this structure is two-fold:
- The trainee will have available the expertise of scientists with both CAM and conventional training.
- Faculty from the two disciplines will have increased exposure to and communication with each other in the context of these mentoring relationships.
Postdoctoral Training Fellowship Requirements
Academic Requirements
Candidates will hold a PhD in a biological or medical science, including epidemiology, or a professional degree in one of the medical sciences (e.g. MD, ND, DO or DAOM) or more.
Citizenship Requirements
Applicants to the T32 program must be a citizen or noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appointment. Individuals who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence must have a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-551) or other legal verification of such status. A notarized statement verifying possession of permanent residency documentation will be required upon appointment. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible for Kirschstein-NRSA support on the T32 training grant.
Basic Sciences (PhD) Track
We recognize that postdoctoral fellows entering the training program with PhD degrees will have had more experience in the design and conduct of research than most clinically trained fellows. Most PhD programs include graduate courses in statistics and research methods, and many graduate students have opportunities to participate in coursework or other training in grantsmanship and scientific writing in addition to actually overseeing a research project.
Furthermore, since PhD applicants to this training program will be screened for a demonstrated interest in CAM, many may have had some coursework in CAM disciplines. Thus, the coursework requirements for PhD trainees will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to be sure that any existing gaps in didactic training in either research methods or CAM approaches will be covered during the postdoctoral period. PhD trainees who wish to engage in clinical research will be encouraged to complete the University of Washington Extension certificate course in clinical research.
Clinician Track
Fellows entering with a clinical degree (ND or MD) will be strongly encouraged to apply for a master's degree program (e.g. the MPH program at the University of Washington or the Master of Science in Nutrition program at Bastyr University that involves a research thesis). If they elect not to pursue an additional degree they will be required to take the following coursework at UW as a non-matriculating student to provide the necessary training in research methods, biostatistics, and grantsmanship.
Required Coursework for Clinically-trained Fellows (ND and MD)(19 credits) |
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|
BIOST 511 and 512 |
Medical Biometry I and II |
8 credits |
|
BIOST 524 |
Design of Medical Studies |
3 credits |
|
EPI 511 |
Introduction to Epidemiology |
4 credits |
|
EPI 573 |
Methods and Issues in Using Biological Methods in Epidemiologic Research |
3 credits |
|
EPI 588 |
Preparing and Writing Research Proposals |
2 credits |
Optional Coursework Offered at UW |
|
| EPI 512 | Epidemiologic Methods I |
| EPI 513 | Epidemiologic Methods II |
| EPI 514 | Application of Epidemiologic Methods |
| EPI 524 | Epidemiologic Studies of Cancer and Cancer Prevention |
| EPI 528 | Exposure Methods in Epidemiology |
| EPI 538 | Nutritional Epidemiology |
| OB GYN 681 P | Gynecological Oncology Subspecialty |
| MEDCH 5624 P | Medicinal Chemistry |
| MEDCH 525 | Alternative and Complementary Medicines |
| MEDCH 501-3 | Advanced Medicinal Chemistry |
| BIOST 519 | Topics in Epidemiologic Methods |
| BIOST 521 | Biostatistics for Experimentalists |
University of Washington Extension also offers a certificate course in clinical trials methodology that interested fellows may choose to take if desired. This certificate course introduces participants to the fundamental scientific, ethical, practical, regulatory and economic concepts underlying clinical trials. Topics covered include: research design, statistical concepts and data management as related to clinical trials; ethical dimensions of clinical trials, including informed consent, conflict of interest, human subject considerations and the roles of organizations such as Institutional Review Boards; understanding the various levels of clinical trials between the initiation and marketing; and introduction to relevant parts of the Code of Federal Regulations and other rules governing clinical trials.
In addition to the coursework required for all clinically trained fellows, MD fellows who have not had significant coursework or prior training in CAM disciplines will be required to take a minimum of 5 credits from the following at coursework at Bastyr University:
Required Coursework for MDs without a CAM backgroundminimum of 5 credits from courses listed below |
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|
BO 5301 |
Botanical Medicine 1 |
2 credits (lecture and lab) |
|
TR 6310 |
Foods, Dietary Systems and Assessment |
3 credits |
|
OM 4118 |
Traditional Chinese Medicine Fundamentals |
4 credits |
If they choose, fellows may also take courses in homeopathy, medical hypnotherapy, hydrotherapy/ physiotherapy, Advanced Naturopathic Therapeutics and Ayurvedic medicine.
For MDs entering this program, we expect that they will spend the great majority of their time (4.5 days/week, or 90 percent) engaged in research activity and coursework. However we also anticipate that they will participate in clinical training activities at Bastyr University Natural Health Clinic or the Bastyr University Oncology Research Clinic as part of the process of becoming familiar with CAM therapeutic modalities. A standard clinic shift comprises one half day/ week for the duration of an academic quarter (11 weeks). MD fellows will engage in a minimum of two clinic shifts during the course of their training, most likely during the first year. MD fellows will work in a pair with an ND resident and will be supervised by the attending ND physician.
The clinical rotations from which they may choose are: Physical Medicine, Nutrition, Homeopathy, Counseling, and Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Clinically qualified fellows whose research involves clinical investigations will be expected to have extensive exposure to and responsibility for the patients involved in the clinical protocols, under the supervision of a clinically qualified mentor. MD fellows who choose to be involved in bench research will still be expected to participate in CAM subspecialty clinical training.
Because the intent of this program is to provide fellows with a significant amount of training in a relatively unfamiliar discipline, we anticipate that each fellow will take up to three quarters of coursework during each academic year. This anticipated course load has informed our decision to allow the duration of training to be as long as three years for each trainee. Clinical fellows who can demonstrate equivalent coursework or training can petition the Executive Committee to waive a particular course.
Course Work for Research Trainees
Research trainees will participate in research seminars led by Principal Investigator Leanna J. Standish, PhD, ND, MS, LAc. Each fellow will be expected to take course work to augment their prior academic training, for the express intention of generating researchers who are both knowledgeable about CAM therapies and rigorously trained in research design and scientific method. The particular course work expected of each fellow will be determined by their background, training and research interests coming into the fellowship. For the renewal of this training grant, we are proposing to establish two tracks for fellows based on their previous training.
Research Activities
The primary goal of this training grant is to train fellows in the successful execution of publishable, CAM- and integrated-focused research projects. Thus the main focus of the trainees' activity and the preponderance of their time will be spent performing the research protocols which they will design, with guidance from their mentors, and which they will perform on a daily basis.
The research activity is intended to be hands-on experience, so that at the end of this training period they will be in a position to train others to do research, and to establish themselves as independent investigators in charge of their own laboratories or clinical research programs.