TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN SLEEP MEDICINE PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Date:
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EDUCATION
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Honors, special training, etc.:
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Please list names and addresses of three (3) references.
1.
2.
3.
Letters of reference also required.
For application to the Translational Research Training in Sleep Medicine Program at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, please submit the following:
1) Completed application form
2) Current curriculum vitae
3) Brief (2 page) statement of your plan of research and study, including:
a) a description of your primary area(s) of interest
b) the type of research you wish to carry out
c) the particular methods of approach in which you require additional training
d) the mentor with whom you would prefer to work
4) Copy of medical or graduate school transcript
5) Letters of recommendation
Send the above information to:
Daniel J. Buysse, M.D.
Program Director
Translational Research Training in Sleep Medicine
3811 O’Hara Street, Room E-1127
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN SLEEP MEDICINE PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
SYNOPSIS: POST-DOCTORAL TRAINING
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine supports a two year postdoctoral program entitled Translational
Research Training in Sleep Medicine funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The Program is
intended primarily for M.D. scientists recruited from Pulmonary Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology, and Internal Medicine,
as well as Ph.D. scientists from neuroscience, physiology, epidemiology and other sleep-related disciplines. The
Program features initial immersion in an initial “basic training” course in animal and human sleep, an emphasis on
presentation publication; individually-prescribed coursework; and preparation of a career development award (K-series
applications).
“Basic Training” Course
During the initial course, the trainee will learn the techniques to record, analyze, and score sleep in both
humans and rodents. A program in human polysomnography will be split between Dr. Strollo in the UPMC Sleep
Medicine Center and Dr. Buysse in the Neuroscience Clinical and Translational Research Center. Trainees will learn to
apply sensors, amplify signals, determine signal integrity, stage and score sleep, monitor respiratory activity and limb
movements, assess sleepiness with Multiple Sleep Latency Tests and Maintenance of Wakefulness Tests, vigilance
testing, perform portable monitoring, and perform quantitative analyses of electroencephalography such as power
spectral analysis and period-amplitude analysis. A four-week program in animal polysomnography in Dr. O’Donnell’s
laboratory will introduce trainees to chronic electrode implantation in animals to record polysomnography, visual
staging and scoring of sleep in animals, real-time and post-hoc automated assessment of sleep staging in animals, and
the diversity of models available to conduct translational research in animals.
Presentation and Publication
Each Fellow will be expected to complete at least one major research project during the training program. This
may include novel analyses of previously collected data or a new research project. Ideally, the work will be used as
pilot / feasibility data for subsequent NIH grant applications such as a K series career development award. Each
Fellow is also expected to publish a minimum of two peer-reviewed papers and one scholarly review related to his/her
research project.
Coursework
Trainees are likely to enter the Program with varying degrees of experience and sophistication in research
methods, design, and statistics. Therefore, formal coursework will need to be individualized for each trainee.
Examples of University of Pittsburgh courses most likely to be recommended for M.D. trainees are 1) CLRES 2010
Clinical Research Methods; 2) CLRES 2020 Biostatistics: Statistical Approaches in Clinical Research; 3) CLRES 2040
Measurement in Clinical Research; and 4) CLRES 2050 Ethics and Regulation of Clinical Research. Typically, one or
two of the courses per year will be required for each trainee based on individual needs.
Mentors
In keeping with out program’s multidisciplinary, translational emphasis each Fellow will be assigned a primary
and a secondary mentor, each from a different scientific background. The Fellow will meet individually with each
mentor on a regular basis (weekly with at least one of the mentors), and jointly with both mentors at least twice per
year.
Oral Presentation and Evaluation
Each Fellow will present an oral progress report to the Training Committee annually, to facilitate evaluation of
progress and focus in future direction. Written evaluations by trainees and mentors will be completed each year. More
frequent informal education is recommended.
Preparation of a Career Development Award
Fellows will become active participants during their training in the primary mentor’s response program. They
will be expected to participate as full members of a research team under the direction of the PI for the selected
program. Moreover, they will continuously be encouraged to develop their own original projects under the aegis of the
program where they will, with supervision from the PI, take responsibility for the conduct of their own work.
During the second year of the program, Fellows will write a federal grant application under supervision of the
primary mentor and training grant committee. The application may be for a career development award or other
mechanism, as deemed appropriate. Fellows will also be encouraged to submit applications for University and
foundation pilot study funding.