The purpose of the proposed competing renewal for "Research Training in Otolaryngology" is to provide a two-year period of uninterrupted research training for one individual per year during the course of clinical residency training in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. As in the past, the clinical training program at Harvard/Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary has two separate tracks, a clinical track and a research track, and it is in that latter research track that training will be supported. The educational objective of the training program is to prepare the selected trainees for an academic career in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and to prepare them to successfully compete for peer-reviewed funding for research. The program provides opportunity for research training in established laboratories under the mentorship of individuals with a track record of peer-reviewed research support in a wide variety of research laboratories in the Department of Otolaryngology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, its affiliated hospitals, including Children's Hospital of Boston, the Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The research opportunities include a wide variety of basic, clinical and translational research in hearing, balance, laryngology and voice, molecular biology and genetics, head and neck neoplasia, laser technology, and neuroprostheses. The applicants will be drawn from a pool of approximately 230 applicants on a yearly basis for residency training in Otolaryngology, which include specific recruitment of individuals from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The educational program includes training in responsible conduct of research and specific mentorship in the application process for peer-reviewed funding. The applicant pool will be interviewed by a residency selection committee which includes representation from members of the research community. In addition, two short-term research training positions for individuals who have completed at least one quarter in an accredited health professional school are requested to provide introductory research experience for such individuals.