Our Institutions hold training of future generations of scientists among its highest priorities. The IDDRC has contributed to addressing that priority since its establishment and throughout its two-decade plus history. Currently, there is increasing emphasis on training relevant to translational research focused on developmental disorders, consistent with broader NIH priorities, but training programs continue to subsume the full scope of content relevant to our field. Annually, Kennedy Krieger Institute graduates over 330 interns and fellows from its various training programs.
Our affiliation with The Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) is a particularly valuable training asset. It supports formally established components of the University’s fellows training program, but it also provides resources for pilot and preliminary translational studies, along with core resources complementary to our IDDRC. Support for fellows and junior faculty is clearly among the ICTR priorities. The ICTR’s focus is far broader than developmental disorders, but it includes a Neurobehavioral Research Unit with a strong emphasis on developmental disorders.
Another major component of the training mission is the coordination of many sponsored lectures and symposia occurring regularly throughout Kennedy Krieger Institute, the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health, and other schools within the University. For example, annually at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, over 90 lectures on intellectual disabilities are featured each year.