The application is for a multi-disciplinary training program in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine. The grant will provide training in basic science and clinical research relevant to the study of pulmonary and critical care medicine disorders. The program proposes to support a total of six (3 each year) postdoctoral trainees (M.D.s, MD./Ph.D.s, and/or Ph.D.s) for a two year experience in a "laboratory environment" under the close supervision of a faculty trainer. On an individual basis, the focus of research for each trainee will be in molecular and cellular biology; signal transduction regulation; cytokine/chemokine biology; defensin biology; innate and adaptive immunology of the lung; the pathobiology of fibrotic lung diseases; pathobiology and prevention of lung cancer; leukocyte biology; epithelial cell biology of the airway and alveolar capillary wall; fibroblast biology; proteinase biology; arachidonic acid biochemistry; pulmonary epidemiology; molecular genetics of candidate genes influencing susceptibility to lung disorders; outcomes in lung disease; quality improvement; foundation in the computational and statistical sciences; fundamental methods of clinical trials; biomedical ethics; and principles of clinical pharmacology relevant to pulmonary and critical care medicine disorders. The program will utilize faculty trainers from several Departments at the UCLA School of Medicine and the School of Public Health at UCLA. The faculty trainers have either extensive research experience in diverse yet overlapping areas of molecular and cellular biology, biostatistics, epidemiology, clinical study design or medical ethics. All faculty trainers have previously trained postdoctoral trainees, who have subsequently gone on to independent and productive careers in academic institutions. The environment at UCLA together with the faculty trainers will offer an outstanding training experience for trainees in multiple basic science or clinical research disciplines relevant to pulmonary and critical care medicine disorders. The program will provide a structured curriculum that contains appropriate course work, exposure to relevant lecture series, and an intensive basic science or clinical research "laboratory" experience. The program is designed for trainees to subsequently be competitive for K01, K08, or K23 awards, and ultimately, R01 funding that will allow them to pursue academic careers in pulmonary and critical care medicine research.