The Drugs of Abuse Training Program at Temple University School of Medicine provides individualized multidisciplinary training to predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows who are dedicated to researching the neurobiology of addiction, the pharmacological effects of drugs of abuse, and the effects of drugs of abuse on the immune system including HIV infection. The Drugs of Abuse Training Program was established in 1988, and this application is requesting continuation of the program at the current level of support for 6 predoctoral students and 4 postdoctoral fellows. It is a basic science training program that provides intensive immersion in state-of-the-art approaches and techniques to address important issues in the substance abuse field. This Training Program is supported by a team of exceedingly talented faculty who are committed to training the next generation of substance abuse researchers. The faculty mentors are highly collaborative, and the trainees benefit from a dynamic interactive atmosphere. Although the home of the Training Program is in the Department of Pharmacology, the faculty mentors come from many disciplines including neuroscience, microbiology and immunology, pathology, molecular biology, anatomy, cell biology, psychology, pharmaceutical sciences, and pharmacology, thus providing a multi-disciplinary training environment. The faculty and trainees are brought together through the support of the Center for Substance Abuse Research which provides the infrastructure that nurtures research and training on the biological basis of addiction and other topics related to drugs of abuse. This provides the trainees with a rich environment in which to pursue substance abuse research. The Drugs of Abuse Training Program is organized around the needs of the trainees and includes didactic instruction through a set of core courses on the pharmacology of drugs of abuse; exposure to clinical aspects of substance abuse and addiction; a seminar series and journal club focused exclusively on drugs of abuse, addiction, and HIV/AIDS; an annual retreat; opportunities to develop oral and written communication skills; annual self-assessments and faculty evaluations of progress; training in ethical research practices; numerous career development activities; and immersion in laboratory approaches that range from molecular and cellular biology through behavioral pharmacology. The Drugs of Abuse Training Program reliably recruits outstanding trainees including individuals from diverse backgrounds and has a near perfect record of completion. The program has been successful in, and remains committed to, preparing pre- and postdoctoral trainees to become productive independent scientists in the substance abuse field.
The purpose of the Drugs of Abuse Training Program is to provide comprehensive training for doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows in the area of substance abuse and addiction in order to prepare them for careers as independent scientists. There is a need at the national level for well-trained innovative basic science researchers in areas related to drugs of abuse, in order to discover new treatment and prevention strategies to combat addictive diseases and their consequences including HIV/AIDS.
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