This Interdisciplinary Training Program in Immunology (ITP) at the University of Virginia (UVA) provides comprehensive support for predoctoral and post-doctoral trainees. It is grounded in a group of 30 outstanding mentors, whose research programs are based in immunology, but with an orientation towards infectious disease, cancer, development, vascular biology, or neuroscience. The mentors are drawn from 8 University Departments and 7 Divisions of the Department of Internal Medicine. They create a rich intellectual research environment where trainees are exposed to ideas of range of scientific disciplines and cutting edge technologies necessary for productive research careers in Immunology. Trainees and mentors are brought into contact through their involvement in activities supported by the ITP, including courses, seminars, Research-In- Progress presentations, and advisory committees. The structure of the ITP allows us to overcome traditional departmental barriers by maintaining cross-disciplinary interest in trainee activities and through monitoring and oversight of trainee performance and progress. Recent modifications in the organization and support of graduate training at the UVA School of Medicine have solidified institutional support for this interdisciplinary approach, while at the same time increasing the visibility of immunology as a Research Discipline to enhance our ability to attract outstanding applicants. The structure and activities of the UVA ITP are also designed to bridge the gap between basic and clinical science. The mentors include a strong cohort of translational scientists who look to move work in animal models into patient settings. Also, elements in the curriculum and in trainee-related activities expose PhD-based graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to clinical problems through active engagement with clinical faculty. Conversely, we support an MD postdoctoral fellow, with the explicit intent to educate physician-scientists in cutting edge approaches to address questions in human immunology at a basic level. Over the last 20 years, the UVA ITP has recruited an outstanding group of both pre- and postdoctoral trainees, including a strong cohort of trainees from disadvantaged groups, and has propelled them towards productive careers as research scientists. To continue this record of achievement, we request support for the same positions as in the previous funding period: 5 predoctoral trainees selected from a group of highly qualified first year graduate students who have already been highly scrutinized during initial recruitment into our umbrella Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) graduate program; 2 PhD-level postdoctoral trainees, selected based on the excellence of their graduate student work, and who we prepare for a career in biomedical research and education; and 1 physician-scientist trainee, highly dedicated to a career in academic medicine, chosen from board-eligible or board certified MD or MD-PhD fellows in UVA clinical departments, who we engage in specialized postdoctoral training and prepared for a career in translational research.
Transcending the early understanding of the immune response as a means to control infection and as the basis for autoimmune disease, it has been shown that the immune system plays a critical role in both control and promotion of cancer, in the development of cardiovascular disease, and in appropriate neurological functioning in the brain. Immunological research in the 21st century is intensely multi-disciplinary and ideally collaborative, relying on well-trained immunologists who can appreciate and effectively interact with researchers in other biomedical disciplines. Thus, it is essential that immunologists have a fundamental interest in the workings of the immune system as a whole, and not just in the context of their current research area. These considerations drive the organization and function of the Interdisciplinary Training Program in Immunology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
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