# CAREER-ENHANCEMENT

> **NIH NIH U54** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $72,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY (Career Enhancement Core)
 A key goal of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) is to train the next-generation of
rare disease clinical/translational investigators. The Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium (BBDC) has made
significant progress towards contributing to this mission. Over the past five years, the BBDC provided Geisman
research fellowship funding to seven highly-qualified early-stage investigators (out of a total of 14 funded by
the OIF). Additionally, by leveraging Institutional resources, the BBDC investigators mentored another 10
young investigators in research projects directly related to OI. Furthermore, 20 trainees received travel awards
to attend the annual scientific meetings of the OIF and the RDCRN's Conference on Clinical Research for Rare
Diseases where they had opportunities to present their scientific work. BBDC enhancement activities also
ensured that the trainees actively engage with the OIF, the primary patient advocacy group (PAG), and to
interact with individuals and families affected by OI. The success of these strategies is best exemplified by the
fact that trainees supported by the BBDC have published over 80 publications in the short span of time
coinciding with years 1-5 of the BBDC. In addition to these career enhancing activities, the BBDC, in
partnership with the OIF, and professional organizations like the American Society for Bone and Mineral
Research (ASBMR), National Osteoporosis Foundation, and the Rare Bone Disease Alliance (RBDA), has
successfully disseminated information about rare bone diseases and OI to patients, healthcare professionals,
and industry partners, thus broadening the impact of the education and training mission of the consortium.
 The BBDC Career Enhancement Core (CEC) proposes to expand upon the previous training
achievements by recruiting and supporting medical students, dentists in training, predoctoral fellows,
postdoctoral fellows, genetic counselors, and junior faculty who are interested in rare diseases. To help
facilitate a career in rare diseases research, the BBDC CEC will provide a range of career enhancement
activities including: 1) procuring protected research time for postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty through the
Michael Geisman Fellowship from the OIF, 2) providing didactic training relevant to rare diseases research, 3)
engaging the trainees to utilize the data from the longitudinal study to complement the mechanistic data
generated in the laboratory, 4) providing opportunities to showcase their research work both within and outside
the consortium, and 5) partaking in the community and educational outreach programs of the OIF. The CEC
will leverage numerous training resources at its site institutions including: 1) NIH funded Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (IDDRC), Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA),
and Training Grants (e.g., K12, K30, and T32 mechanisms), 2) medical and graduate school program...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10478165
- **Project number:** 5U54AR068069-09
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Sandesh Chakravarthy Sreenath Nagamani
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $72,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-08-06 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10478165

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10478165, CAREER-ENHANCEMENT (5U54AR068069-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10478165. Licensed CC0.

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