Columbia University Graduate Training Program in Microbiology and Immunology

哥伦比亚大学微生物学和免疫学研究生培训项目

• 批准号: 8742419
• 负责人: David A Fidock
• 金额: $ 9.18万
• 依托单位: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-06-01 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8742419
• 关键词: Immunology; Microbiology; Training Programs; Universities

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In this resubmission, we request support for two graduate trainees selected each year, who have attained dissertator status in our predoctoral Columbia University Graduate Training Program in Microbiology and Immunology. Each trainee would be funded for two years. This PhD granting Program, led by our Director Dr. David Fidock and Co-Director Dr. Boris Reizis, provides predoctoral trainees with a unique opportunity to obtain individualized training across a broad spectrum of microbiology and immunology research. This research converges on themes of immune cell and tissue development and homeostasis, pathogen biology, mechanisms of DNA replication and repair, and microbial and immune cell proliferation. These cross-disciplinary interests are being pursued in a highly collaborative and interactive framework that links our 19 training faculty, who are all appointed to the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, led by our Chairman Dr. Sankar Ghosh. Our graduate program, built on many decades of successful graduate training, has proven that we can recruit and retain an outstanding cohort of training grant eligible (TGE) applicants. Trainees take courses in microbiology and immunology, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, genetics, quantitative biology, and responsible conduct in research, and are enrolled in workshops on scientific writing and grantsmanship. Students must also pass a qualifying examination that tests their ability to formulate and defend a hypothesis-driven project unrelated to their thesis research. Our programmatic framework includes a Steering Committee that regularly evaluates student and trainer performance, the curriculum, and new applicants; a process to identify the best trainees and mentor them successfully throughout their graduate studies; a mentoring plan for junior trainers, and an External Review Board with Program Directors who provide regular feedback to help optimize program effectiveness. Our Graduate Program has shown excellent recruitment and retention rates, along with an outstanding record of career outcomes for former predoctoral trainees, including underrepresented minorities or disadvantaged students. 95% of our former trainees in the past decade have continued in science or medicine and 15% have already achieved tenure-track or non tenure-track faculty positions. Our increased emphasis on recruitment of underrepresented minorities includes a new agreement with the University of Puerto Rico, which has a large student body of TGE applicants, and extensive outreach initiatives. We also benefit from very strong institutional support provided by the Dean of our medical school and our Office of Graduate Affairs, including financial support that allows our training grant to support selected trainees once they have successfully completed their coursework and qualifying examination and are engaged in full-time research. We are confident that our dynamic, rigorous and scientifically innovative training program will mold future academic leaders in microbiology and immunology research who will have acquired the skills to be able to tackle critical topics in infectious diseases and immune regulation.

描述（由申请人提供）：在此重新提交中，我们请求为每年选出的两名研究生实习生提供支持，他们已在我们的哥伦比亚大学微生物学和免疫学博士前研究生培训计划中获得了论文员身份。每位学员将获得两年的资助。该博士学位授予计划由我们的主任 David Fidock 博士和联合主任 Boris Reizis 博士领导，为博士前学员提供了获得广泛的微生物学和免疫学研究的个性化培训的独特机会。这项研究的主题集中在免疫细胞和组织的发育和稳态、病原体生物学、DNA 复制和修复机制以及微生物和免疫细胞增殖。这些跨学科兴趣是在一个高度协作和互动的框架中追求的，该框架将我们的 19 名培训教师联系在一起，这些教师都被任命到微生物学和免疫学系，由我们的主席 Sankar Ghosh 博士领导。我们的研究生项目建立在数十年成功的研究生培训基础上，事实证明我们可以招募并留住一批优秀的符合培训补助金资格 (TGE) 的申请者。学员学习微生物学和免疫学、生物化学、分子细胞生物学、遗传学、定量生物学和负责任的研究行为等课程，并参加科学写作和资助研讨会。学生还必须通过资格考试，测试他们制定和捍卫与论文研究无关的假设驱动项目的能力。我们的计划框架包括一个指导委员会，定期评估学生和培训师的表现、课程和新申请者；确定最佳学员并在整个研究生学习过程中成功指导他们的流程；针对初级培训师的指导计划，以及由项目总监组成的外部审查委员会，他们提供定期反馈以帮助优化项目有效性。我们的研究生项目显示出出色的招聘率和保留率，以及前博士前学员（包括代表性不足的少数族裔或弱势学生）的出色职业成果记录。过去十年，我们的前学员中有 95% 继续从事科学或医学工作，15% 已经获得终身教职或非终身教职。我们越来越重视招募代表性不足的少数族裔，包括与波多黎各大学达成新协议，该大学拥有大量 TGE 申请者，并开展了广泛的外展活动。我们还受益于我们医学院院长和研究生事务办公室提供的非常强大的机构支持，包括财政支持，使我们的培训补助金能够在选定的学员成功完成课程和资格考试并全面参与工作后为他们提供支持- 时间研究。我们相信，我们充满活力、严谨和科学创新的培训计划将塑造微生物学和免疫学研究领域未来的学术领导者，他们将获得解决传染病和免疫调节领域关键课题的技能。