Credit
Prepare to Lead Translational Research Teams
Baylor graduate students in their first or second year who are interested in a career focused on translating biomedical discoveries into molecular medicine advances to benefit human health are invited to apply for the Clinical Translational Research Certificate of Added Qualification (CTR-CAQ) program. Participants will acquire the foundational knowledge and professional skills required of effective leaders of translational research teams.
The CTR-CAQ is a two-year program run in coordination with our seven interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs so that it will not slow down your progress with your thesis research. You and your mentors will design your clinical translational research work so that it integrates with or complements your thesis research. Each year, 30 students will be selected to participate.
The CTR-CAQ program will be supported by an NRSA Institutional Predoctoral Training Grant (T32) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. We anticipate funding for eight students beginning in the summer of 2020. See the application for information on eligibility and to apply for support by the T32.
CTR-CAQ Courses
Orientation to Clinical Translational Research (OCTR): Topics covered include T1-T4 translational research, study design for randomized clinical trials and retrospective studies, Good Manufacturing Practice facilities, informed consent, regulatory affairs, Institutional Review Board.
Practical Skills in Translational Research Workshops (PSTRW): Case-based or project based skills development pertaining to clinical research proposal development, sample size and power calculations, retrospective studies, prospective early clinical trials, biobanking research, databases and data management.
Clinical Translational Research Seminars (CTRS): translational research seminars given by guest faculty invited by CTR-CAQ faculty and students. Students have opportunity to interact with guest faculty in small, informal group setting.
Clinical Translational Research Experience (CTRE): Students learn about clinical aspects of their area of research interest through exposure to clinical medicine and clinical research, and develop a short capstone project in consultation with their CTR mentor.
You will:
- Gain knowledge of the ethics, regulatory aspects and practical conduct of clinical research
- Conduct hands-on work with peers in small groups to use this knowledge in simulated scenarios
- Master the skills necessary to work in and lead teams of researchers
- Participate in clinical/translational conferences and meetings where you will learn from and interact with experts in translational research
- Complete a capstone project with mentorship from your chosen clinical translational research mentor who will introduce you to clinical research
Meet Our Students
Meet Brittany Jones
Meet English Laserna
Clinical Translational Research Mentors
Baylor College of Medicine Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is embedded within a leading health sciences university with a top-ranked medical school and located in the heart of the world’s largest medical complex. This provides access to many exceptional clinical translational research mentors for our students. You will have the opportunity to select mentors from the:
- Asthma Clinical Research Center
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy
- Dan L Duncan Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center
- Pediatric clinics at Texas Children's Hospital
- Tropical Medicine Clinic
- Children's Nutrition Research Cener
- Vaccine Research Center
- And many more clinical research centers and clinics
Current Students
Certificate Recipients
Past recipients of the Clinical Translational Research Certificate of Added Qualification.
CTR-CAQ Program Student Outcomes
Careers
As of December 2024, eleven students who have successfully completed the CTR-CAQ program have defended their thesis and received their doctorate degree. Since graduation, all students have continued with positions in the biomedical sciences:
- Five of our graduates have found biomedical-related positions in industry
- Four have continued with research training as postdoctoral fellows
- Two have found positions in medicine
Time to Graduation
The average time to graduation for students in the CTR-CAQ program is 5.1 years, compared to 5.2 years for all students in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at BCM. Our former graduate program, Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine (TBMM), offered students a similar opportunity for clinical observations and translational research. The average time to graduation for TBMM program was 5.4 years.
