Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have been awarded a federal grant to conduct an interdisciplinary training program in musculoskeletal research. The award provides $1.58 million in funding to support four predoctoral students and two postgraduate trainees over the next five years.
The program directors are Michael Zuscik, PhD, and Karin Payne, PhD, who are researchers in the Department of Orthopedics at CU Anschutz Medical Campus. The program includes 29 faculty members from 18 departments, divisions, and centers across the four campuses in the CU system.
“This grant will help us build on the groundbreaking research we do with the common goal of supporting education,” said Zuscik, the Mack Clayton Professor of Orthopedics, the vice chair of the Department of Research, and the director of the Colorado Musculoskeletal Research Program. “We hope to remove barriers and create stronger connections between faculty members. Creating new research happens when teachers interact in ways that might not happen otherwise.
“This grant will help us build on the groundbreaking research we do, with the common goal of supporting education.” – Michael Zuscik, PhD
Zuscik was recruited to the University of Rochester’s Anschutz Medical Campus in 2018. His lab focuses on contributing factors to osteoarthritis and his research has been continuously funded for over 17 years. He has also been a dedicated educator, regularly lecturing in undergraduate and graduate courses, has mentored numerous interns who are now independent researchers, and contributed to important textbooks used to educate orthopedic residents.
The new training program, funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, will be the only such program in the Rocky Mountain region. It will provide formal educational components, including a musculoskeletal science curriculum, a seminar series for visiting scientists, work-in-progress meetings and an annual symposium. The programming will pair trainees with mentors who provide training from couch to bed.
“This comprehensive training program will develop a new generation of musculoskeletal researchers who have a deep understanding of basic musculoskeletal biology and are able to apply their knowledge to clinical science,” said Payne, associate professor of orthopedics and director of education in the Colorado Program. for musculoskeletal research. “Mentoring strengthens our work and allows us to prepay for the support we have received from our mentors.”
Payne’s research focuses on regenerative medicine approaches for the treatment of cartilage injuries, and her lab is developing potential treatments involving stem cell and growth factor-enhanced biomaterials, as well as 3D-printed implants for cartilage regeneration. In addition to lecturing in several graduate courses and developing and directing a course in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Anschutz Campus, Payne has mentored countless graduate students, postgraduate interns, medical students and orthopedic assistants since joining the faculty in 2012.
Based on their mutual passion for education, Zuscik and Payne decided to take an Institutional Training Grant, also known as a T32 at the NIH. Together they put together the program and assembled the application for the 2021 grant. The formal start of the training program is this summer, with admission of the inaugural trainees in October.
Developing institutional partnerships is also an important part of the training program. The CU doctoral departments participating in the program are:
CU Anschutz Medical Campus
- Cancer biology
- Cell biology, stem cells and development
- Human medical genetics and genomics
- Immunology
- pharmacology
- Rehabilitation Science
- Bioengineering
CU Boulder
- Chemical and Biological Technology
- Mechanical engineering
CU Denver
UCCS (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs)
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
In addition to the other campuses in the CU system, this scholarship will also increase opportunities for interns from neighboring institutions to access the educational content: Colorado State University, the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Denver. Importantly, in addition to the trainees selected for the scholarship, this program will also contribute to the training of predoctoral and postgraduate trainees not included in the program, in addition to undergraduates, technical personnel and orthopedic surgery assistants.
“Receiving this training grant is part of our larger vision to expand the scope of musculoskeletal research at CU,” said Zuscik. “Our department leadership and the School of Medicine made a joint investment to recruit experienced faculty members to build a strong foundation that led to this grant. Since 2018, we have added several world leaders to our campus and developed the key technology resources they need to be successful here. We are only at the beginning of our journey and we are excited to see it grow to national prominence with the funding of this important training program.