DESCRIPTION: This is a competitive renewal of a training program in Developmental Hematology in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. The program will provide pediatric physicians (M.D.'s or M.D.,Ph.D.'s) with postdoctoral research experience with the long-term goal of producing independent investigators capable of making important contributions to biomedical research. The program will support one second-year (PGY-4) and one third-year (PGY-5) each year. The trainees will be recruited from the Hematology-Oncology fellowship program in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. The fellowship program is comprised of three to four years of training, only two of which will be supported by the T32. The Hematology-Oncology fellowship includes many qualified applicants with backgrounds in hematology research. Trainees will participate in a formal seminar series that includes a discussion of current research in developmental hematology, along with didactic sessions in statistics, design of research, and the ethical conduct of research. Trainees may perform their postdoctoral research in a wide range of laboratories at Washington University, provided the research is relevant to the field of developmental hematology. Alan L. Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., will serve as Program Director. The continued support of this program will help to close the gap between basic developmental biologists and pediatrician clinicians. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Clinician-scientists are vital to continued progress in biomedical research, because they can apply dual perspectives of clinical medicine and the principles of science and research. The numbers of Pediatric clinician-scientists have dwindled in recent years. The present Program supports medical students interested in Pediatrics to conduct research at institutions other than their own medical schools, under the supervision of highly qualified mentors, to encourage the students to consider careers that include research.