Scientific Training Program for MD Fellows @ CPC-M

Our clinician-scientist program aims to create a unique educational and training platform to raise future clinician-scientist leaders knowledgeable in experimental, translational, and clinical pneumology.  Candidates benefit from a comprehensive curriculum of high international standard and close mentorship while performing cutting-edge research projects in translational medicine. This concept permits the acquisition of a profound interdisciplinary education in both basic and clinical sciences in balance with a broad knowledge of both practical and theoretical laboratory skills. Our program fosters the translation of knowledge between scientists from the life science field and clinician-scientists, and gives them the opportunity to work and learn together and, most importantly, from each other. We aim to expand this idea of translation into all following career segments, i.e. ongoing scientific collaboration with the hosting research lab through shared MD students, support with grant applications, lectures, etc., thereby ensuring optimized individual profile development and career establishment.

The Comprehensive Pneumology Center (CPC-M) within the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) offers fellowships (9 to 12 months) to qualified and motivated medical students to work on a scientific project under the supervision of one of the CPC-M lung experts from Medicine and Life Sciences. Please follow this link for details!

Education and training

Scientific training in the individual projects will take place in the research groups. The definition of the individual research plan and the organization of TAC meetings ensure progress supervision.

Members of the program acquire the necessary basic knowledge, e.g. fundamentals of lung biology and physiology and methods, and awareness of important general scientific issues such as research ethics and good scientific practice. Following, members have the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in lung research worldwide through research seminars (research-in-progress seminars, journal clubs and other formats), career events, conference attendance, and outreach activities together with an interdisciplinary and international lecture series. Individual meetings will be organized to network and direct questions to "role-models" and learn about individual careers, as well as personal and scientific visions of the respective scientists or clinicians.

The scientific training is complemented by transferrable skills courses, which cover topics such as writing of scientific peer-reviewed articles and grant applications, communication and presentation skills, and basics in project management. Yearly calls for grant applications encourage and support students on behalf of their own research ideas with the chance to receive start-up funding.

The translational aspect is further embedded by case discussions, where scientific projects, patient case reports, as well as general disease-independent concepts, and ideas are presented and discussed by the interdisciplinary faculty.

For their continued personal and professional development, candidates are strongly encouraged to attend national and international conferences, present their own work, increase their visibility, learn about new findings in the field or related fields, network, and look for potential collaborators. Candidates are also encouraged to participate in an International Research Stay Program (for example by the European Respiratory Society) and visit other laboratories, learn new techniques essential for their projects, gain new insights into related fields, and exchange ideas with international colleagues.

Participation in a mentoring program (for example within the DZL Academy) will allow young clinician-scientists to interact closely with more experienced scientists/clinicians recruited from the participating and partner institutions in Germany and worldwide, in a regular manner. 

Reflecting the highly interdisciplinary structure of the program, the in-house seminars are partnered with the opportunity to participate in events organized by the MMRS, HELENA, the LMU Graduate Center, the Life Science Campus Network Großhadern/Martinsried, and by the Research Training Group ‘Targets in Toxicology’ (GRK2338). Furthermore, all doctoral candidates are encouraged to sign up for activities of the DZL Academy including scientific meetings and career development courses.