The future of biomedical research depends on access to a diverse pool of well-trained scientists who are equipped to tackle the research challenges of the 21st century. The first step in generating this pool is to have a cadre of enthusiastic, ambitious, and creative educators who have the capacity to reach out to their students and inspire them to pursue careers in research. The challenge of identifying and training these educators is acute, particularly at minority serving institutions that often lack the resources and research infrastructure necessary to attract the best and the brightest young educators. As postdoctoral training typically focuses on research training, potential educators often face the challenge of developing the teaching skills and research portfolio necessary to be competitive for faculty positions. The VCU-IRACDA program is designed to address both of these issues. The program has two major goals. The first is to prepare postdoctoral fellows for faculty positions by training them in both cutting edge research and pedagogy. VCU IRACDA Trainees will perform research with well-funded mentors at VCU and will experience hands-on training in teaching at one of our partner minority-serving institutions (Virginia Union University, Virginia State University and Elizabeth City State University). The second goal of VCU IRACDA is to enhance the research """"""""culture"""""""" of our partner institutions, by developing courses and providing research opportunities for both students and faculty. These goals will be accomplished through the following specific aims: (1) Identify at least 20 qualified applicants and annually recruit 3 excellent postdoctoral fellows to the 3- year VCU-IRACDA program, (2) Provide VCU-IRACDA postdoctoral fellows with intensive training in research and teaching, (3) Enhance the curricular offerings at our partner institutions through courses with a strong foundation in current research trends and methodologies that will enhance relevant knowledge and interest in research related careers among students and faculty, and (4) Implement a rigorous evaluation and tracking system for longitudinal follow-up of VCU-IRACDA postdoctoral Trainees and the undergraduate students and faculty at partner institutions.

Public Health Relevance

We realize that a single program cannot ensure that the 21st century biomedical research workforce will reflect the increasing diversity of our nation. However, with our dedicated team of trainers, comprehensive and rigorous training regimen, and the talented pool of postdoctoral Trainees that we have and will continue to recruit, we believe that VCU IRACDA has the potential to make significant contributions to this effort.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Physician Scientist Award (Program) (PSA) (K12)
Project #
5K12GM093857-04
Application #
8519472
Study Section
Minority Programs Review Committee (MPRC)
Program Officer
Singh, Shiva P
Project Start
2010-09-10
Project End
2015-07-31
Budget Start
2013-08-01
Budget End
2014-07-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$487,720
Indirect Cost
$31,918
Name
Virginia Commonwealth University
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
105300446
City
Richmond
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
23298
Hyer, Molly M; Phillips, Linda L; Neigh, Gretchen N (2018) Sex Differences in Synaptic Plasticity: Hormones and Beyond. Front Mol Neurosci 11:266
Martin, Rebecca K; Damle, Sheela R; Valentine, Yolander A et al. (2018) B1 Cell IgE Impedes Mast Cell-Mediated Enhancement of Parasite Expulsion through B2 IgE Blockade. Cell Rep 22:1824-1834
Damle, S R; Martin, R K; Cockburn, C L et al. (2018) ADAM10 and Notch1 on murine dendritic cells control the development of type 2 immunity and IgE production. Allergy 73:125-136
Crump, Katie E; Oakley, Jennifer C; Xia-Juan, Xia et al. (2017) Interplay of Toll-Like Receptor 9, Myeloid Cells, and Deubiquitinase A20 in Periodontal Inflammation. Infect Immun 85:
Damle, Sheela R; Martin, Rebecca K; Cross, Janet V et al. (2017) Macrophage migration inhibitory factor deficiency enhances immune response to Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. Mucosal Immunol 10:205-214
Beyer, Andrea R; Rodino, Kyle G; VieBrock, Lauren et al. (2017) Orientia tsutsugamushi Ank9 is a multifunctional effector that utilizes a novel GRIP-like Golgi localization domain for Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum trafficking and interacts with host COPB2. Cell Microbiol 19:
Lownik, Joseph C; Luker, Andrea J; Damle, Sheela R et al. (2017) ADAM10-Mediated ICOS Ligand Shedding on B Cells Is Necessary for Proper T Cell ICOS Regulation and T Follicular Helper Responses. J Immunol 199:2305-2315
Nalli, Ancy D; Bhattacharya, Sayak; Wang, Hongxia et al. (2017) Augmentation of cGMP/PKG pathway and colonic motility by hydrogen sulfide. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 313:G330-G341
Ndaw, Victor S; Abebayehu, Daniel; Spence, Andrew J et al. (2017) TGF-?1 Suppresses IL-33-Induced Mast Cell Function. J Immunol 199:866-873
Oki, Aminat T; Huang, Bernice; Beyer, Andrea R et al. (2016) Anaplasma phagocytophilum APH0032 Is Exposed on the Cytosolic Face of the Pathogen-Occupied Vacuole and Co-opts Host Cell SUMOylation. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 6:108

Showing the most recent 10 out of 54 publications