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We appreciate the opportunity to stay connected with you through this, our second quarterly newsletter, NIH Clinical Research Connections. You are our partner in training the next generation of clinician scientists, so please forward to others who might be interested. Also, please contact us with newsworthy items or feedback on this newsletter. As always, thank you for your support!
Next Steps in Your Clinical Career
 Throughout your career, it is natural to think, "What's next?" Trainees who spent time at the NIH Clinical Center have had much success in determining what's next for them. Alumni of our training programs are returning to NIH to conduct clinical research. Other alumni are following paths to industry and academic medical centers for their clinical and translational research careers.
The Clinical Center's attractive spectrum of educational programs, as well as the wealth of resources and possibility of collaborating with world-renowned investigators, have proven to be prime reasons why some past trainees have decided to return for research opportunities. Since the inception of the NIH's Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP), 14 of its past fellows have come back to the NIH to continue their research or to participate in other programs. Mr. Horacio Duarte (2009-2010 CRTP fellow) returned in February 2011 for a four-week Pediatric Consult Service elective, one of over 32 electives available through the OCRTME's Clinical Electives Program. Horacio mentioned that his reason for coming back was to be able to work with outstanding clinical investigators who are eager to teach young trainees. Dr. Sarah Kranick participated in the CRTP in 2003-2004 and returned to NIH in 2009 to do a Medical Neurology fellowship with her CRTP mentor, Dr. Mark Hallett. In July of 2011, Dr. Kranick will become Chief of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Neurology Consult Service.
Other alumni have taken their experience in an NIH training program and brought their knowledge and experience to the private sector. The Sabbatical in Clinical Research Management program has had six participants to date, and one participant, Ms. Ilona Kuraskua took an immediate next step into industry and now works for Genzyme, a global biotechnology company, where she serves as the director of government relations at the Russia office. "Certainly, [the] Sabbatical program did help me a lot and increased my value as a professional," she stated. "My [current] activity includes development [of] joint projects for Genzyme and Russian biomedical scientists in translational research."
Enabling the next steps of your clinical and research careers is just one way the Clinical Center ensures the Nation's capability to research and prevent disease. These are just a few examples of how the Clinical Center continues to train the next generation of clinician-scientists.
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Trainee Forum Introduces Future Collaborators
 For the eighth year in a row, the Clinical Center hosted the Clinical Investigator Student Trainee (CIST) Forum for medical, dental, and veterinary students enrolled in year-long clinical and translational research enrichment programs. Networking has always been an emphasis at the Forum since the students who attend are likely to meet again as trainees, collaborators, and academic leaders.
NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research, Dr. Michael M. Gottesman, said to the students, "You are what we call, in epidemiology, a cohort. Look to your left and your right. These are the people who will be your collaborators. These are the people who will be reviewing your grant applications."
More than 260 students from around the United States attended the CIST Forum, which included panel sessions with program alumni, a networking luncheon with principal investigators from various research areas of interest, and a dinner with NIH Director, Dr. Francis Collins as the keynote speaker.
Read more about the Eighth Annual CIST Forum.
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Clinical Center Recruitment on the Move
 Staff members of the Clinical Center's Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education will attend two annual conferences for medical students this spring. OCRTME aims to recruit the best and brightest students to train at the NIH, and there are many opportunities to showcase. At recruitment events, OCRTME program coordinators meet directly with students, faculty members, and conference attendees.
A conference at which OCRTME frequently exhibits is the annual meeting of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) [disclaimer] which is set for March 10-12, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia. Dr. Robert Lembo, OCRTME Deputy Director and members of the NIH senior staff have judged posters at the AMSA conference for the past few years. Current fellows from the Clinical Research Training Program also attend to give a first-hand testimonial of their experiences as trainees at NIH.
You can also find OCRTME at the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) [disclaimer] Annual Meeting from April 21-23, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. If you are an alumnus who lives in this region, please stop by or contact us if you would like to visit or be a participant at our exhibit booth.
Please share this information with colleagues who may have an interest in attending either of these conferences. You can stay up-to-date on other Clinical Center's news and events related to training on our Current Events page.
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