Training
 In the context of the rapidly evolving field of computer science and the dependence of the medical
community on medical data acquisition, interpretation and management, the NIH Roadmap initiative
lays out the need for an infrastructure comprised of common vocabularies, lexicons, and informatics
platforms, so-called clinical informatics tools, that can get networks of medical researchers
communicating with one another across disciplines. NA-MIC proposes to solve this need in the area of
medical image analysis by developing and deploying new computational tools and open-source
technologies for ready and easy access by the medical community. A second goal of NA-MIC is to
apply these computational tools to Driving Biologic Projects in schizophrenia, and then to seek other
DBPs in diverse areas of neuroscience and other medical areas fashioned after the schizophrenia
model. As a recent NIH position paper states: "Brain imaging is one of the most rapidly advancing
fields in science today. More than any other area of biology, it is a field in which the progress of
research is dependent on improving technologies and computational power... Rapid improvements in
brain imaging methods provide our best hope for understanding brain mechanisms that play a role in
mental illness and, eventually, for improving our ability to diagnose, treat, and prevent neurologically
based brain disorders." These are clear and compelling reasons to continue and strengthen existing
efforts to investigate and understand the functional dyNA-MICs of the human brain. As well, they
underscore the selection of brain image analysis/schizophrenia as a good clinical starting point.
The NA-MIC Training Core will extend this work by providing a rich program of educational
experiences to participants in the project, as well as to the broader scientific community. The Training Core will focus on improving the quality of communication within and beyond the team of investigators
participating in this research project, and on the provision of educational materials in formats best
suited to efficient and widespread dissemination of information. Our experienced Training Core
faculty, and indeed, the majority of participating scientists, each has a long and consistent track
record of commitment to education as evidenced by the number of successful scientists previously
trained, the number of training grants in which they participate, and by the wealth of existing
educational materials that will form the basis for the NA-MIC Training Core activities. A primary goal of
our educational program will be to ensure that all materials meet the specific needs of trainees who
come from a diverse array of backgrounds.
Specifically, the Training Core aims to:
- develop formal training guidelines that specify the
educational content that will be required knowledge for all trainees;
- provide mentoring experiences
to graduate students and post-doctoral and research fellows who are participating in the NA-MIC
project and who need to acquire knowledge in areas outside of their primary area of expertise;
- develop a multidisciplinary collaborative work environment that is supportive of learning new areas of
expertise for all participants;
- author the educational component for all image analysis and
visualization tools that will be disseminated by the NA-MIC to the wider biomedical community; and
- conduct demonstrations and hands on training programs to be delivered at national and international
conferences in the domains of clinical neuroscience and medical image analysis.
The achievement of these aims will provide a
coherent program of training for all participants within the NA-MIC team. The many pre- and postdoctoral
trainees from the NA-MIC sites who are participating in these educational experiences will be
excellent candidates for advanced training programs or new faculty positions in the multi-disciplinary
area of medical imaging and computing. |
