The primary purpose of this broadly based multidisciplinary toxicology training program is to prepare trainees for biomedical research careers in schools of medicine, public health, and pharmacy, and in governmental or industrial laboratories with a sound knowledge in environmental health and principles of toxicology. The areas of research emphasis represented by the 13 training faculty include neurotoxicity and neurodegenerative disease, mechanisms of cell death, oxidative DNA damage and repair, and environmental assessment and epidemiology. The 13 members of the training faculty are currently funded by over $7,000,000 in federal grants with more than a third of that being from NIEHS. Several scientists from the Centers for Disease Control, including the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry, also participate in the training of students through guest lectures and collaborative research. The most important component of training is laboratory research, first as a series of three research rotations, then in the dissertation laboratory. This training is complemented by core courses in toxicology, biochemistry, pharmacology, cell biology, molecular biology, and biostatistics, and advanced courses in toxicology specialty areas, seminar courses, and journal clubs. The program is designed to support four students and two postdoctoral fellows each year from a total eligible population of about 16 students and 24 postdoctoral fellows. The student who completes the predoctoral training program will have acquired broad familiarity with toxicology and environmental health, knowledge in depth in the area of dissertation research, the ability to search, read critically and report on the literature of the biomedical sciences, mastery of a variety of laboratory techniques useful in modern biomedical research, skill in planning and executing a research project, ability to write clear, accurate scientific reports for publication, and ability to present effectively the results of research. The postdoctoral fellow who completes the training program will have gained extensive experience in cutting edge toxicology research, and should have submitted an individual NRSA application to gain grant writing experience to aid in the transition into an independent research position.
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