Adam E. Klein, MD - West Virginia State Medical Association

West Scientific Virginia Article University | Healthcare and Health Sciences | NEWSKiser first Schweitzer Fellow from WVUThe Albert Schweitzer Fellowshiphas selected Jeffrey Kiser, a risingsecond-year student in the WestVirginia University School ofMedicine, as one of the PittsburghSchweitzer Fellows. Kiser is thefirst WVU student to be selectedas a Schweitzer Fellow.This year, Kiser will joinapproximately 240 other SchweitzerFellows across the country inconceptualizing and carrying outservice projects that address thesocial determinants of health.Kiser will establish a depressionand anxiety prevention program forinternational students who attendWVU. His program will focus onbuilding a sense of communityamong the school’s diverseinternational student populationthrough cultural expression andcommunication skills development.Founded in 1997, the PittsburghSchweitzer Fellows Program isone of 13 Schweitzer program sitesacross the U.S. Since the program’sinception, Schweitzer Fellows inPittsburgh, competitively chosenfrom health-focused graduate studentapplicants in a variety of fields,have worked tirelessly to addresshealth disparities and the socialdeterminants of health throughoutthe greater Pittsburgh area.Since 1997, more than 200Schweitzer Fellows have providedmore than 44,500 hours of serviceto Pittsburgh’s most vulnerablecommunities. Partnering with areacommunity-based organizations,these Fellows have addresseda wide variety of unmet healthneeds by creating and carryingout year-long projects withdirect service at their core. Formore information visit www.schweitzerfellowship.org/pittsburgh.New M.S. program preps health professionals to takeresearch from bench to bedsideAlong with educating futureprofessionals, producing meaningfulresearch is at the heart of higherlearning. Translational researchmoves science from the lab tothe bedside, to the clinic, andultimately to the public with thegoal of improving the health ofpeople in our communities andthe nation. The West VirginiaClinical and TranslationalScience Institute’s (WVCTSI) newMaster of Science program aimsto develop the next generationof clinical and translationalscientists through educationaland mentored research training.“This degree program is onthe cutting edge of research andgraduate education nationally, andit shows our commitment to clinicaland translational research here atthe WVU Health Sciences Center,”Fred Minnear, Ph.D., assistant vicepresident for graduate education andprogram director for clinical researcheducation, mentoring and careerdevelopment in the WVCTSI, said.The M.S. degree combinesinterest-driven required and electivecoursework with thesis research.Research projects are co-mentoredand may consist of a clinical trial, thetranslation of scientific knowledgefrom the bench to practicalapplication or a combination ofboth. The degree requires a peerreviewedpublication or a writtenthesis that is defended orally to afour-member faculty committee.The clinical research education,mentoring and career developmentcore of WVCTSI was designed todevelop the next generation ofscientists who will address healthdisparities in West Virginia. Throughtheir gained expertise, these clinicaland translational researchers willutilize and adapt existing educationalinfrastructure and make use of thestatewide rural health networksthat have been developed.Initial enrollment is limitedto faculty, clinicians and healthprofessions students at West VirginiaUniversity and the West VirginiaSchool of Osteopathic Medicine.The first CTS students will beginclasses in the fall 2012 semester.To learn more, visit http://wvctsi.org/pages/Programs/Education-Training/M-S-in-Clinical-Transl-Science.To apply to the WVCTSI M.S. inClinical and Translational ScienceProgram, visit http://majors.wvu.edu/home/details/229.40 West Virginia Medical Journal