CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER IN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

The goal of the Children's Health Research Center (CHRC) at MCV will train
and nurture qualified young investigators so that they feel and enjoy the
excitement and challenge of productive research while developing the
skills, discipline, scientific focus and experience which will allow them
to compete for independent funding. They will be provided 2-3 years of
protected time plus department resources. Junior faculty will be linked to
one of 16 established investigators in pediatrics and basic sciences. The
theme of the CHRC will be Human Developmental Biology. Human Developmental
Biology is defined as an experimental approach to understanding the
biochemical and molecular events controlling normal growth,
differentiation, and development, either in utero or postnatally, and the
genetic or acquired factors producing aberrant development that uses the
basic science techniques of contemporary cell biology, molecular biology,
and molecular genetics. Applications for funding will be selected from a
pool of junior faculty who will select an established investigator as
research advisor. Continued funding will require each awardee to submit an
annual application to NIH. The CHRC will increase the corp of pediatric
faculty who are skilled basic science investigators who can apply their
knowledge and skills to research of important pediatric questions and
problems, now and in the future.