RESUMO
The Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center (MMPC)Live Program was established in 2023 by the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance biomedical research by providing the scientific community with standardized, high quality phenotyping services for mouse models of diabetes and obesity. Emerging as the next iteration of the MMPC Program which served the biomedical research community for 20 years (2001-2021), MMPCLive is designed as an outwardly-facing consortium of service cores that collaborate to provide reduced-cost consultation and metabolic, physiologic, and behavioral phenotyping tests on live mice for U.S. biomedical researchers. Four MMPCLive Centers located at universities around the country perform complex and often unique procedures in vivo on a fee for service basis, typically on mice shipped from the client or directly from a repository or vendor. Current areas of expertise include energy balance and body composition, insulin action and secretion, whole body carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, cardiovascular and renal function, food intake and behavior, microbiome and xenometabolism, and metabolic pathway kinetics. Additionally, an opportunity arose to reduce barriers to access and expand the diversity of the biomedical research workforce by establishing the VIBRANT Program. Directed at researchers historically underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, VIBRANT-eligible investigators have access to testing services, travel and career development awards, expert advice and experimental design consultation, and short internships to learn test technologies. Data derived from experiments run by the Centers belongs to the researchers submitting mice for testing which can be made publicly available and accessible from the MMPCLive database following publication. In addition to services, MMPCLive staff provide expertise and advice to researchers, develop and refine test protocols, engage in outreach activities, publish scientific and technical papers, and conduct educational workshops and training sessions to aid researchers in unraveling the heterogeneity of diabetes and obesity.
RESUMO
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent policies (e.g., social distancing, travel restrictions) challenged both organizers for and attendees of programs typically held in person. Many scientific training programs quickly adapted to virtual formats by incorporating digital assets developed for virtual learning and remote social engagement. At the outset, the value of continuing digital elements with future in-person events was unclear. To examine how virtual resources supported heterogeneous professional training programs, we reviewed survey data for a 14-year-old training program for scientific professionals titled "Isotope Tracers in Metabolic Research: Principles and Practice of Kinetic Analysis." We found a positive relationship between survey satisfaction and the postpandemic in-person program that included digital assets held in 2022 compared to prepandemic in-person programs. To better understand the postpandemic program satisfaction, we assessed the 2021 virtual course format and survey data. We found that although there was a desire to return to in-person programs, the digital assets and approaches were valued. In examining the individual programmatic elements in the 2022 in-person course, there was better "value and understandability" of lectures over previous in-person years. These findings highlight how incorporating new digital engagement strategies for professional development benefits even the most established programs in supporting heterogeneous learners.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We examined impact of leveraging digital assets to support virtual engagement for an in-person program. Using survey data of a 14-year-old program for scientific professionals, we compared pre- and postpandemic in-person programs. Through incorporating digital assets, we found increased survey satisfaction compared to prepandemic in-person programs. These findings highlight how incorporating new digital engagement strategies benefits even the most successful professional development programs.