National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Training Program

rdf:langString National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Training Program

rdf:langString The National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) was a one-year education program aimed at highly qualified, research-oriented medical and dental students wanting to learn the theory and practice of clinical and translational research that ran from 1997 to 2012. It covered among other topics clinical research design, data analysis, bioethics, and critical review of the medical literature; but most of each fellow's time was devoted to conducting supervised clinical or translational research in their area of interest. NIH clinician-scientists guided fellows in developing their own learning plans which involved collaborating with principal investigators in NIH intramural laboratories and in clinical areas at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland; and this research work was complemented by seminars and journal clubs with peers, and engagement with patients enrolled in investigational protocols. The program trained 310 medical and dental students in 15 different NIH institutes/centers on the intramural campus of the NIH in Bethesda; and the last class was completed in 2012. NIH Director at the time, Harold Varmus, inaugurated the program to offer creative, research-oriented students the chance to engage in clinical research early in their careers. From 1998 it was supported jointly by the NIH and the Foundation for the NIH, using money provided by Pfizer Inc. By 2004 it was accepting 30 students annually, supported by the NIH Common Fund (formerly the NIH Roadmap) as part of its theme. In summer 2012, a new program, the , commenced, expanding on the aims and focus of the CRTP and the and accepting medical, dental, and veterinary students.