Resources and Structure of Program | Training Record | Stipends | Center Grants of Divisional Faculty

Resources and Structure of the Program

Components

The Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine of the University of Colorado Denver includes the following training sites for divisional fellows:

• University Hospital (UH)
• Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC) (formerly Denver General Hospital)
• Denver Veterans Administration Medical Center (DVAMC)
• National Jewish Medical and Research Center (NJMRC)
• Columbia Rose Medical Center (CRMC)
• St. Anthony's Central Hospital (SAC)
• Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratory (CVP)
• Divisional research laboratories in the medical school (DL)

Established Clinical Research Centers

• Acute Lung Injury
• Adult Cystic Fibrosis
• Asthma
• Emphysema
• Genomics
• Interstitial Lung Disease
• Lung Cancer
• Lung Transplantation
• Lung Volume Reduction Surgery
• Occupational Lung Disease
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Sarcoidosis

Faculty

The divisional faculty consists of 107 members. This includes 76 M.D. faculty who are clinician-teachers, researchers, and clinician-scientists. There are also 31 Ph.D. basic scientists. In addition, collaborative arrangements are in place with investigators in basic science and other clinical departments throughout the School of Medicine and NJMRC. See the faculty list.

Training Year One

The first year of training consists of six 2 month rotations on the clinical services of UH, DHMC, DVAMC, SAC, CRMC, and a pulmonary physiology rotation at NJMRC. This year is designed to teach the trainee basic aspects of pulmonary and critical care medicine and offers a broad experience in the techniques necessary for practicing these specialties and for conducting clinical research. Each fellow is assigned a faculty advisor who provides guidance during the first year and assists with further career planning, particularly, the subsequent years of research training.

Training Years Two and Three

The second and third years are designed to foster the development of the trainee's own creative interests. Each 2nd and 3rd year trainee is assigned a research committee which is comprised of two faculty members of their choice, the research mentor and one of the division heads. The trainee meets with the assigned committee to present their current research projects and discuss further directions. This period is primarily devoted to research experience under the guidance of a divisional mentor. This can be basic research at any one of our institutions with staff immunologists, cell biologists, biochemists, and geneticists. There are also similar opportunities for outstanding clinical and physiologic research at all six hospitals. The second year includes two one- month rotations at UH and a one month rotation in critical care at the Anschutz Inpatient Pavillion (Fitzsimons). During the third year, trainees complete two one-month rotations in critical care at DHMC and a one month pulmonary elective. In addition, trainees complete a 6-month ½ day per week outpatient pulmonary subspecialty clinic during either the second or third year.

Individuals with an interest in clinical sciences or occupational and environmental lung disease may elect to complete training which includes a Master of Science in Public Health in the School of Preventive Medicine through the Occupational Medicine Residency Program.

Additional Years of Training

An optional fourth year of continued training (the majority of trainees opt for this) is available for those who desire it. A fourth year is necessary for those in one of the Ph.D. programs. The purpose of this optional year is to ensure an additional year of protected time for research activities particularly for those trainees who plan academic careers. The fourth year appointment is at the level of instructor.

Divisional Conferences

Although our program includes multiple sites, 107 faculty and the potential for 24 trainees, we maintain close communication with each other through our monthly "Lung Lunch," mid-year and year-end reviews of the program, and weekly conferences (the calendar shows the current schedule):

• Pulmonary and Critical Care Grand Rounds
• Journal Club
• Thoracic Surgery Conference
• Research in Progress Conference
• Chest X-Ray Conference
• Additional weekly conferences at the component hospitals and research laboratories
• Weekly Didactic Sessions:
  • Pulmonary Topics Course (2nd, 3rd year)
  • Critical Care Lecture Series (1st year)
  • Core Curriculum Lectures in Critical Care (2nd, 3rd year)
• Monthly Pulmonary Pathology Conference
• Monthly Critical Care conference (Denver Health)

Divisional Meetings

• Lung Lunch (monthly)
• Division Heads-First Year Fellow (every other month)
• Division Heads Fellows reviews (biannually)
• Division Heads - Second, Third, and Fourth Year Fellows (quarterly)
• Fellow Critique of Program (annually)
• Fellow Research Review (biannually)

Divisional Social Activities

• Fellows' Welcoming Picnic (July)
• Divisional Hike (August)
• Holiday Reception (December)
• Springfest Ball (April)
• First Year Fellows' Recreation Day (June)

Training Record

Since 1976, 118/169 of our trainees have chosen careers in and have remained in full-time academic medicine at over 50 academic medical centers. The remainder have distinguished themselves in either clinical practice or industry.

Since 1980, over 100 of our trainees have received post fellowship career development awards. These awards support continued training and initial faculty positions here and at other academic institutions. They include:

• 56 NIH Career Development Awards (K Series)
• 3 American Heart Fellow to Faculty Awards
• 7 American Heart Clinician Scientist Awards
• 10 Parker B. Francis Awards
• 4 American Lung Association Trudeau Awards
• 5 American Lung Association Career Investigator Awards
• 2 American Lung Association Established Investigator Awards
• 3 American College of Chest Physicians Physician Scientist Awards
• 6 Individual NIH Training Grants (T32)
• 2 Robert Wood Johnson Minority Awards
• 2 Pfizer Clinician Scientist Awards
• 6 VA Associate Investigator Awards
• 2 VA Clinical Investigator Awards
• 1 RJR Nabisco Award
• 8 Flight Attendant Career Development Award

Over 300 peer reviewed clinical and scientific articles are published yearly by divisional fellows and faculty.

Stipends

The first-year stipend is currently ($48,528). The stipends for the second and third years are normally between $51,192 and $55,116 depending on NIH guidelines. Stipend amounts are subject to change depending on funding sources and NIH requirements.

Center Grants of Divisional Faculty

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

We sponsor a well-known conference that is regularly attended by our faculty and fellows:

• The internationally acclaimed Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference (formerly called the Aspen Emphysema Conference) is an update in current research which takes place in early June. Lung Immunology is scheduled in 2006.

Funds are available to support fellow attendance at above mentioned conferences. Also, funds are available for travel to major scientific meetings for the purpose of presenting research.

THE COLORADO TRADITION

We are dedicated to excellence in pulmonary and critical care medicine. We also collectively strive for the best in science in order to continue to solve the many challenging clinical problems that face society in this country and throughout the world today. We are also tantalized by good fun in our approach to medicine and science and are particularly delighted by the opportunity to lead and be creative. This philosophy has been engendered by our predecessors, Drs. Waring, Mitchell, Filley, Durrance, Petty and Neff and enhanced by each new investigator who joins our program and therefore we collectively carry forward the banner emblazoned by the excitement of the rapidly evolving field of pulmonary and critical care medicine and science!

DENVER

Denver is a great city with an upbeat economy, with a Convention Center, a Center for Performing Arts, a relatively new international airport, a new baseball stadium, a new aquarium, and a new football stadium and basketball/hockey arena. The weather is outstanding, i.e., low humidity and 280 days of sunshine each year. Winter temperatures are mild and little snow accumulates in the city. Housing remains affordable although increasing and there are excellent schools in the area.

If you fish, ski, mountain bike, camp, hunt, like Big Eight football or professional sports (Broncos [football], Nuggets [basketball], Rockies [baseball], the Avalanche [hockey]) and the Rapids [soccer] or just like an effervescent climate and life style, we would be delighted to talk to you. We personally guarantee you will not be bored with or disappointed in your choice.