PROJECT SUMMARY – VDDRC ENRICHMENT The Enrichment Program provides critical mechanisms to support the overall goals of the VDDRC via the following Specific Aims: 1) To foster the scientific and professional career development and promote diversity of members; 2) To expand research tools used by VDDRC members to pursue studies in the realm of digestive disease; and 3) To extend the impact and disseminate knowledge gained from research performed by VDDRC members. To achieve these goals, the VDDRC has incorporated several innovative elements into the following Enrichment components: A) the Research Seminar Series; B) the Academy of Investigators; C) the Enrichment Training (mini-sabbatical) Program; and D) the Annual Retreat. To catalyze member scientific development and interactions, the VDDRC Research Seminar Series was initiated in 2002. This series is a vehicle for prominent local, national, and international investigators to present lectures related to topics within the VDDRC Research Domains. The breadth and depth of VDDRC scientific impact has now been enhanced by new partnerships with multiple Vanderbilt Centers to co-sponsor speakers. Institutional and endowed support over the current funding period ($50,000) also sponsored complementary research lectures within the GI Division targeting the interests of VDDRC members. To train the next generation of GI researchers, we created the VDDRC Academy of Investigators, a program in which junior investigators acquire important career development tools. This component is directed by Dr. Alyssa Hasty, a former VDDRC P & F recipient and Young Investigator Awardee, and co-directed by Dr. Lori Coburn, a former P & F recipient, and will receive $125,000 from Vanderbilt over the next 5 years. The Academy will now oversee a new VDDRC Diversity Initiative supported jointly by NIDDK and Vanderbilt as a mechanism to attract trainees from diverse backgrounds into GI research. To provide members with the opportunity to expand their research capabilities, the VDDRC Enrichment Training (mini-sabbatical) Program supports members’ leaves to work in another laboratory for either the acquisition of new techniques or to establish a new model related to digestive disease research. The annual VDDRC Retreat is designed to disseminate research findings of our members and includes a symposium featuring internal speakers and current P & F recipients, a keynote speaker, and a poster session (ePosters and standard posters), which provides robust interactions among senior investigators, junior faculty, and trainees. Vouchers for VDDRC Cores are awarded to the best posters as judged by Program leaders. Finally, the VDDRC is a member of the newly minted Eastern Regional DDRCC Alliance, which is now funded by NIDDK to develop a virtual seminar series and an exchange program focused on junior faculty and P & F recipients as a means to promote career development.