NIH T32 Research Fellowship

Our department offers an NIH-funded research fellowship program (T32). The goal of this program is to provide training in scientific investigations to anesthesiologists who wish to become independent physician-scientists and leaders in the field of anesthesiology research.

Research fellows are expected to make a commitment for a minimum of two years for training in laboratory or clinical research. Every effort is made to provide them the opportunity to develop their skills and expertise to explore research problems relevant to anesthesiology. They are paired with mentors or mentoring teams from a variety of disciplines: faculty members who are NIH-funded investigators within the Department of Anesthesiology, other clinical departments or basic science departments on the Columbia University Health Sciences campus. (Many of our T32 fellows are drawn from the Virginia Apgar Scholars Program, which recruits anesthesiology clinical residents with a strong interest in research and academic medicine.)

Research training on the T32 includes 80% effort in research and 20% effort in clinical activities. Time on the T32 can occur during clinically training in a non-ACGME accredited clinical fellowship or following an ACGME-accredited clinical fellowship. Following clinical fellowship training, T32 trainees assume clinical attending responsibilities. This allows trainees to progress to the attending level in their clinical responsibilities while still retaining 80% of their professional time for research.

Program requirements include a course in ethics and policy in scientific research and rigor and reproducibility of research. The department holds a monthly research conference, at which all trainees present their research progress and results. Additional educational programs include extensive course work available through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Mailman School of Public Health, and the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA).

The track records of our past fellows have been spectacular in terms of continued extramural funding, and careers in academic anesthesiology. Many research fellows have successfully made the transition to full-time faculty within the department. Fellows who have completed their T32 training have received FAER Mentored Research Training Grants, IARS Mentored Research Awards, NIH K08 (Mentored Physician Scientist Awards), NIH Loan Repayment Awards, and NIH R01 awards.

To apply to the NIH T32 Research Fellowship program, please review the checklist, complete the application form, and forward all materials to:

Charles Emala, MD
Program Director — NIH T32 Fellowship Program
622 West 168th Street (PH505)
New York, NY 10032
Telephone: 212-305-8360
Email: cwe5@cumc.columbia.edu