Project Summary The Indiana University Diabetes and Obesity Training Program began in 1999 and has been funded for fifteen years by NIDDK, currently at the level of two pre-doctoral and two post-doctoral trainees. The goal of the program is to provide training to young researchers at an early career stage of their careers, in research that is relevant to diabetes, metabolism, and obesity, an ever growing problem for the health of the nation. The Indiana University School of Medicine is an outstanding forum for such an initiative. Over twenty faculty from multiple departments participate as mentors in the program. This group of faculty has a strong training record. Pre-doctoral students take a Minor in Diabetes and Obesity which includes a 2 credit Diabetes and Obesity course. Students will attend Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases seminars, will present their results in the same series, and will be encouraged to present their work at national meetings such as the American Diabetes Association scientific sessions. Additionally, they will take a Research Ethics course, a course on Scientific Rigor, and a Grant Writing Workshop. The program is sensitive to the issue of diversity and seeks to maintain its strong record of supporting URM trainees. By training in an environment and culture that gives strong multi-disciplinary support for diabetes research, there is a significant probability that the trainees will sustain an interest in diabetes, even as their specific research interests evolve over their careers.