DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application seeks support for our application for the Men's Reproductive Health Research Training Grant to the Center for Reproductive Medicine and the Scott Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine. The research emphasis of this program is in the areas of pediatric urology/genitourinary development, steroid hormone action, stem cells and male reproductive biology/male infertility. The training faculty includes 7 Ph.D/M.D., Ph.D. faculty and11 M.D.s. Dr. Lamb will serve as both the Program Director and the Research Director of the MRHR training program. Drs. Lipshultz, Gonzales, Cisek, Khera, Roth, and Janzen will ensure the trainees are optimally trained in the urologic subspecialty areas of male infertility and pediatric urology. The major research areas in the program include: genetics and genomics of genitourinary developmental defects, cell biology, steroid hormone receptors, male reproductive biology/infertility, genetics, cell cycle control, ste cells, gene therapy and gene disruption. The trainees will be M.D. junior faculty members at Baylor College of Medicine. Our program attracts highly qualified trainees who seek intensive and substantial research training in men's reproductive health research with an emphasis on clinical translation. We have a defined recruitment plan that emphasizes the recruitment of women and minorities. The strengths of the training environment include highly respected, well-funded, experienced faculty, the high national ranking for NIH funding of Urology/Cell Biology and Pathology departments, a structured mentoring program and required coursework, a cell biology graduate program with relevant course work and depth in both cell biology and genetics. Our long-term goal is to train these young investigators to successfully compete for peer-reviewed funding and eventually to increase basic and translational research efforts in men's reproductive health research.

This MRHR application will train new investigators to become clinical and basic researchers in men's health issues. This program will offer training in both basic and clinical research to investigators to improve men's health.