Reproductive health is the window to overall health and offers enormous opportunities and challenges for high- quality interdisciplinary research and careers. The goal of the Career Training in Reproductive Biology (CTRB) Program is to train exceptional predoctoral students for diverse scientific careers in the reproductive sciences. Funds are requested to train five predoctoral students per year in a dual program consisting two main parts. First, to prepare for a research career, students will engage in rigorous, hypothesis-based scientific laboratory work in reproductive biology. Second, to prepare students for varied career paths, they will complete a University of Michigan-sponsored Certificate program to hone skills in teaching, translational research, public policy, or entrepreneurship. These Certificate programs were specifically designed to dovetail with graduate work to prepare students with the qualitative and quantitative skills needed for careers in specific disciplines. This innovative program addresses the needs of reproductive biology trainees in a way that no other program at the University of Michigan does. Thirteen select faculty mentors, who are highly recognized scientists with a passion for and extensive combined experience in predoctoral education, enthusiastically comprise the CTRB Program faculty. Trainees are drawn from exceptionally strong graduate programs in biomedical sciences, biomedical engineering and environmental health sciences. Specific training activities include formal courses in Mammalian Reproductive Physiology, Scientific Communication and Responsible Conduct of Research, monthly mentored trainee research presentations, group discussions of laboratory management, job interview practice, two annual symposia in reproductive sciences and twice-yearly mentoring meeting. Trainee input will actively shape the training program. Trainees and mentors submit formal competitive applications that are reviewed and required for appointment to the CTRB Program. The CTRB Program is monitored by several internal mechanisms and external advisors will be established to ensure its responsiveness to demands of a continuously evolving research environment and changing trainee needs.

Public Health Relevance

Central goals of the Career Training in Reproductive Biology are to provide intellectual and technical research training in the field of reproductive biology, to promote interdisciplinary thinking, and to pair trainee passion for science with employment opportunities by exposing trainees to diverse scientific career opportunities that cross boundaries between the academic and non-academic.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
1T32HD079342-01
Application #
8665680
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHD1)
Program Officer
Taymans, Susan
Project Start
2014-05-01
Project End
2019-04-30
Budget Start
2014-05-01
Budget End
2015-04-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Department
Physiology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Ann Arbor
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48109
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Kruger, Alyssa N; Ellison, Quinn; Brogley, Michele A et al. (2018) Male mice with large inversions or deletions of X-chromosome palindrome arms are fertile and express their associated genes during post-meiosis. Sci Rep 8:8985
Vallianatos, Christina N; Farrehi, Clara; Friez, Michael J et al. (2018) Altered Gene-Regulatory Function of KDM5C by a Novel Mutation Associated With Autism and Intellectual Disability. Front Mol Neurosci 11:104
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Lu, Kevin L; Nelson, Jonathan O; Watase, George J et al. (2018) Transgenerational dynamics of rDNA copy number in Drosophila male germline stem cells. Elife 7:
Berg, Tova; Silveira, Marina A; Moenter, Suzanne M (2018) Prepubertal Development of GABAergic Transmission to Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Neurons and Postsynaptic Response Are Altered by Prenatal Androgenization. J Neurosci 38:2283-2293
Porter, Robert S; Jaamour, Farris; Iwase, Shigeki (2018) Neuron-specific alternative splicing of transcriptional machineries: Implications for neurodevelopmental disorders. Mol Cell Neurosci 87:35-45
Porter, Robert S; Murata-Nakamura, Yumie; Nagasu, Hajime et al. (2018) Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Impaired cAMP Responsiveness in PHF21A-Deficient Human Cells. Neuroscience 370:170-180
Lu, Kevin L; Yamashita, Yukiko M (2017) Germ cell connectivity enhances cell death in response to DNA damage in the Drosophila testis. Elife 6:

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