Dr. Salusky is the CTSI Training Program Director, Associate Dean for Clinical Research and Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM). He is a world-renowned clinical and translational scientist in the research area of abnormalities of bone and mineral metabolism in children with chronic kidney disease.
As PD/PI of the CTSI Training Program, he works closely with the academic deans of the other professional schools and directors of the different interdisciplinary programs to ensure coordination of Training Program resources across disciplines and institutions, and he collaborates with the Training Program track directors and the partner site directors to implement all operational activities, holding formal monthly meetings to ensure that programmatic requirements are met in curriculum development, resource allocation, and strategic planning.
As Director of the UCLA Clinical Research and Translational Center (formerly, General Clinical Research Center), playing a critical role in the coordination of the overall clinical research infrastructure across the UCLA Health System, Dr. Salusky is committed to training the next generation of clinical investigators. He is the creator and director of the Clinical Research and Translational Center summer course “Introduction to Clinical Investigation: How to Prepare a Grant Application” for senior fellows and junior faculty from the CTSI Training Program partner institutions.
Between 20 and 25 students participate in this course each year, which provides an effective forum for identifying students interested in clinical and translational research careers. Over the years, Dr. Salusky has co-mentored many trainees across different subspecialties (for example, pediatric cardiology, sports medicine, oncology, allergy and immunology, and genetics, among others). Several of those trainees have successfully competed for K23 awards.
