DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) This application is a competing renewal application for a T35 summer medical student training program in environmental health sciences research that has been funded by NIEHS for 10 years. The 2 specific aims are: 1) To provide hands-on training in basic and clinical environmental health-based research to medical students in a structured mentored environment; and 2) To provide an interactive, educational experience that introduces medical students the fundamental skills necessary for basic, translational, and clinical environmental health-based research. A new feature (Distinction in Research Track) proposed will enhance training for the students to function as environmental health sciences specialists in an Academic Health Center setting. The program has supported the training of 6 second year-medical students each summer in environmental health sciences research topics, including environmental cardiology, environmental metabolic disease, and environmental pulmonary disease, with a particular focus on diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity and hormonal regulation of metabolism. Trainees can choose from research projects submitted by 23 mentors in the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Public Health (ranking them 1-5 for interest) and are selected from the top half of the first year medical class at UofL for appointment to the T35 Training grant. A successful effort has been made to recruit students from ethnic minorities and disadvantaged backgrounds. During the 11-week summer training, students work with mentors on their research project in clinical or laboratory settings and complete training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (including topics on fabrication and falsification of data, plagiarism, managing scientific data, publication practices and responsible authorship, mentorship, stewardship, and conflict of interest). Trainees working with human subjects complete human subject and IRB training prior to beginning their research. Likewise, trainees who will use vertebrate animals in their research are required to complete a training course for animal research. All trainees will attend a weekly "Environmental Health Sciences Conference" designed to introduce clinical and translational research in environmental health sciences to T35 trainees. The conference culminates with each Trainee presenting his/her research project to peers and mentors. Trainees also present the results of their research as posters with peers at a School of Medicine week-long celebration of research that includes nationally recognized physician scientists as keynote speakers. Training in the NIEHS T35 program will encourage students to participate in the new Distinction in Research (DIR) Track in the Medical School for a continued longitudinal research experience in years 2-4 of medical training which allows them to develop research-oriented skills and to complete a translational research project in the...