Project 458394

A healthy gut is key to good health and wellbeing. However, changes within our bowel and the bacteria housed in our gut can lead to diseases in our intestine such as inflammatory bowel disease, or irritable bowel syndrome, but also outside of our gut, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, heart disease and diabetes. Importantly, there is an increase in the number of people suffering with these diseases in Canada. Therefore, we need to train individuals with research skills to uncover novel solutions to these major problems. Recognizing this need, we have assembled a team of experts to create an innovative program to train and provide career support for researchers to excel in this area. The program is supported by the national organizations focused on gastrointestinal and liver health- the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver, and Crohn's and Colitis Canada. The goals of the program are: 1)To increase the number of trainees and researchers early in their careers who are studying intestinal and liver disease in Canada. We will recruit trainees from diverse backgrounds representing the Canadian population. We will give competitive research awards that will provide salaries to complete their training. 2)To provide a curriculum that will teach them the skills they need to develop successful careers. We will provide workshops, online courses as well as internships that expose them to the variety of career options available to them in this area of research. 3)To ensure trainees receive advice and coaching from a variety of experts (mentors) focused on promoting their success. Trainees in our program will be prepared to lead in a diverse array of careers including, but not limited to, research, teaching, medicine, communications, the pharmaceutical industry, government policy and management. Thus our training program will ensure Canadians will benefit from excellence and innovation in this research area.