Research Program

Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI). 

Since the Neonatology Fellowship Program began in 1965, it has been incorporated into the training program of the CVRI, a multidisciplinary research unit that was founded in 1958.  The Director is Shaun Coughlin, M.D., Ph.D., and the faculty consists of 93 investigators and 195 research fellows whose research activities span a broad range of basic and clinical research including developmental biology, pulmonary, cardiovascular and hematologic disease, and disorders of lipoprotein metabolism.  Enclosed is a list of the faculty members of the CVRI and their areas of research.

Research Training Program. 

The major component of the Neonatology Fellowship Program is the Research Training Program.  Approximately 75% of the Fellow’s time is protected research time.  This program is designed to prepare the Fellow to be an independent and productive researcher after completing the Fellowship.  In some cases, an individual may decide to do four years of Fellowship in order to have a prolonged period of research during which there are minimal clinical obligations.

Opportunities for research training for Fellows are available in cell biology, molecular biology, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry and biophysics, and in clinical research.  Much of the activity of the CVRI Staff is directed toward creating special educational opportunities for Fellows to acquire or expand their experience in basic medical research and teaching.  For the Fellows, the CVRI provides courses in Biostatistics, Scientific Writing and the Art of Lecturing.

There are several regularly scheduled research conferences in the CVRI.  Of particular interest to Neonatology Fellows are the Neonatal Research Seminars and the CVRI Staff Research Conferences.  In addition, guest lecturers from around the world regularly visit the CVRI and present their work.

Individual Research. 

Each Fellow works individually with a faculty research mentor.  The mentor supervises the Fellow's research activities, instructs the Fellow in laboratory techniques and provides the laboratory space and facilities for the Fellow's research.  Depending on the Fellow’s research interests, the research mentor may be a member of the Division of Neonatology, a member of another division of the CVRI or Department of Pediatrics, or of another Department at UCSF.  Decisions regarding research activities and preceptors are preferably made prior to the start of the Fellowship, although this is not essential.  So that appropriate interviews can be arranged, the applicant should indicate, on the application form, areas of research interest or specific faculty members with whom the applicant may wish to work.  Attached is a listing of Neonatology faculty members, a brief description of their research and selected recent publications.  Also included is a listing of current Fellows, their research activities and mentors.

Fellows present their research (including work in progress) at the Neonatology Research Seminars, and they are expected to submit their work to appropriate regional and national research meetings.  Each Fellow is provided funds to attend one national research meeting per year.

Clinical Research. 

We encourage Fellows to participate in a clinical research project.  Current clinical research projects underway in the ICN include: pulmonary function of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH); near infra-red spectroscopy to evaluate effects of certain interventions on brain blood volume and oxygenation; effects of fetal tracheal occlusion on pulmonary function in infants with CDH; a controlled trial of fetal treatment of meningomyelocele; effectiveness of early MRI scanning in predicting long term neurological outcome after perinatal asphyxia; use of MRI scanning to determine pre-operative neurological defects in infants with congenital heart disease; role of MRI to predict long term outcome after premature birth; immunological defects in infants with congenital heart disease; effectiveness of combined treatment with indomethacin and NO inhibitors for patent ductus arteriosus; effectiveness of two different indomethacin dosing regimens for closing the patent ductus arteriosus; and long term follow up of high risk infants.  Neonatal faculty members serve as mentors for clinical research projects in the ICN.  Fellows whose primary research activities are in the clinical sphere are encouraged to enroll in Training in Clinical Research.  This program, sponsored by the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, provides courses in epidemiology, design of clinical trials, interpretation of data, and presentation of results.  Detailed information about the various aspects of the program are available at the website (http://www.epibiostat.ucsf.edu/courses/post.html).

Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS). 

Neonatology Fellows who wish to pursue research in health policy studies can select a preceptor in the IHPS, a multidisciplinary research unit established at UCSF in 1972 and directed by Dr. Harold Luft.  The faculty members are active in research in epidemiology and health policy services; several have a particular interest in perinatal and neonatal medicine.  Facilities include conferences and courses as well as extensive databases for each of the various research projects and computer facilities for use by the trainees.

Evaluation.

As mandated by the American Board of Pediatrics for subspecialty fellows, each Fellow has a Scholarship Oversight Committee.  The Committee may include the Fellow's Research Mentor as one member of the committee.  The purpose of the Scholarship Oversight Committee is to meet periodically with the Fellow to review progress, both clinical and research, and to provide advice and constructive criticism.