NRSA TRAINING CORE ABSTRACT The Integrated Virginia Research Training Centers in Kidney, Urology and Hematology (IGNITE KUH) training program is being proposed to address an unmet need and major gap in prioritized research training through development and integration of a statewide research program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The IGNITE KUH NRSA Training Core is an innovative and distinctive multi-institutional, multi-departmental program comprising a team of 65 outstanding faculty from the University of Virginia (UVA), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VT) with primary research programs anchored in the basic research and clinical science of benign KUH diseases in six thematic areas: Systems Biology and Functional Genomics, Immunity and Inflammation, Biomedical Engineering, Nanotherapeutics and Drug Discovery, Clinical and Data Sciences, and Predictive Analytics. The NRSA Training Core leverages existing strengths in kidney and hematological disease research, uniting them with urological disease research in a cohesive, integrated and coordinated research training program. The NRSA Training Core will be enhanced through participation and integration of the Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV), a component of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) partnership between UVA and VT, and the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) at VCU. Three major goals of the IGNITE KUH NRSA Training Core include: 1) increase training of PhD students, residents (urology) and postdoctoral fellows in basic and translational aspects of KUH in health and disease using a unified approach; 2) establish an integrated Virginia-wide research training program focused on KUH-diseases; and 3) attract outstanding students and postdoctoral fellows with long-term career interests in basic or clinical research into the IGNITE KUH Training Program. IGNITE KUH will prioritize strategies to attract students from underrepresented populations at several partner institutions, including three historically black universities in Virginia – Virginia State University (VSU), Hampton University (HU), and Virginia Union Universities (VUU) – thereby further enhancing development and training of both PhD researchers and physician scientists. The IGNITE KUH NRSA Training Core will address human health issues through increased education and training of the next generation of researchers and physician scientists in basic research or clinical science who can guide and lead future research programs aiming to lessen human disease and suffering in KUH-specific fields. Project Summary/Abstract