The primary goals of this Rheumatology and Immunology Research Training Program are: a) to provide trainees with a broad investigational experience in laboratory and/or non-laboratory research basic to the study of rheumatic diseases and b) to foster the development of investigative skills in trainees. The program is open to pre-doctoral students, MDs and PhDs interested in disease oriented research and committed to a career in basic and/or clinical research in rheumatic diseases. Trainees will develop a solid background in the molecular and cellular mechanisms of and/or epidemiology of rheumatic diseases and become qualified to embark upon their careers as independent investigators in rheumatology and immunology research. Trainees may select a diverse faculty in the Thurston Arthritis Research Center (TARC) as mentors. All of the mentors are well funded to conduct their research. The training of MD postdoctoral fellows who plan careers in academic rheumatology receives major emphasis. Special efforts are also made to recruit minority candidates. The training program is largely preceptorial, with more than 75% of the trainee's time devoted to independent research activities, supplemented with structured didactics. Ongoing animal and human biomedical research encompasses many of the issues relevant to autoimmunity, arthritis, and musculoskeletal disease. Trainee laboratory research is supported by all of the necessary equipment and resources for modern molecular and cellular immunology, genomics, proteomics, and cell biology. Opportunities in non-laboratory investigation derive from the multiple resources of the Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center within the TARC and other resources throughout the UNC health sciences campus. The entire curriculum in the Departments of Microbiology/Immunology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, other School of Medicine departments, Epidemiology, Health Behavior &Health Education, and other departments in the School of Public Health are open to trainees. Trainees are required to participate in a variety of seminars and conferences, including a weekly research-in-progress conference where trainees present their research and those dealing with responsible conduct of research. The curriculum for pre-doctoral trainees is tailored to their needs and consists of formal didactics relative to their degree program, as well as others within the structure of our training program. Post-doctoral trainees are encouraged to obtain extramural funding such as NIH K08, K23, R01, and R03 series awards and Arthritis Foundation and to parlay those opportunities into academic careers. The majority of pre- (24 of 24, 100%) and post-doctoral (39 of 44, 89%) trainees in this program over the last 10 years are currently engaged in academic endeavors as trainees, university faculty or industry researchers.
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