# Clinical Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal Education and Training Program (COMET)

> **NIH NIH T32** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2022 · $293,328

## Abstract

Musculoskeletal (MSK) and orthopaedic disorders are staggeringly prevalent, disabling, and costly, accounting
for ~5% of gross domestic product in the US. The COMET (Clinical Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal
Education and Training) T32 training program is focused on training clinical researchers to address the
growing national and global burden of MSK disorders through rigorous clinical research. The COMET program
has been highly successful in its first decade; 21 of its 25 graduates have remained in academic positions, with
8 receiving career development awards (5 K-level awards and 3 Rheumatology Research Foundation career
development awards), and 5 R-level grants (3 R01s and 2 R21s). These 25 graduates have published 112
peer-reviewed papers based on their T32-funded work. Nearly 70% of current and former trainees are women
and 3 belong to underrepresented minority groups.
In this competitive renewal resubmission, we propose a programmatic focus on 6 research training
concentrations that represent pressing research needs and draw on the strengths of the faculty: exercise and
physical activity; orthopedic surgical outcomes; innovative non-pharmacologic trials; value-based care; work
and MSK disorders; and MSK health in resource-limited settings. Trainees address these and related research
themes in relation to a broad range of MSK and orthopaedic disorders, including osteoarthritis, osteoporosis,
regional disorders (spine, knee, shoulder, upper extremity, foot/ankle), orthopaedic trauma, joint and soft tissue
problems, nerve entrapments, chronic pain, and related conditions. Through their COMET training, young
investigators acquire critical skills in biostatistics and epidemiology along with a range of other disciplines
based on their career interests (e.g. behavioral science, economic analysis, clinical trials). Trainees without
prior formal didactic training in these methodologies obtain a master's degree in the Clinical Effectiveness
Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Drs. Jeffrey Katz and Elena Losina direct the
COMET program and are supported by a highly experienced, productive, and collaborative group of faculty
mentors from throughout the Harvard medical and public health communities. This application requests funding
for two predoctoral and three postdoctoral training positions per year. This renewal resubmission application
builds upon a foundation of success over the first decade of the program and is driven by the overarching goal
of facilitating research to improve the quality of life of persons with debilitating MSK disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10461765
- **Project number:** 5T32AR055885-14
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffrey Neil Katz
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $293,328
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2008-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10461765

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10461765, Clinical Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal Education and Training Program (COMET) (5T32AR055885-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10461765. Licensed CC0.

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