The University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) Department of Kinesiology exercise biology and aging program has a history of producing well-trained PhDs who complete postdoctoral training and become productive academic faculty members. The program provides fellows with the training to prepare them for high quality dissertation research addressing 1) clinical and basic laboratory investigations in exercise biology (exercise, cardiovascular (CV), musculoskeletal, and metabolic physiology and genetics) and aging to study the risk factors for CV disease, falls, and physical dysfunction in the elderly, 2) the effects of exercise interventions on musculoskeletal, metabolic, and CV function in older persons, and 3) the effects of common genetic variations on the responses of older persons to exercise training. The program's curriculum provides; 1) basic knowledge in aging, 2) specific knowledge in exercise, CV, musculoskeletal, and metabolic physiology, 3) courses in genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and other life sciences, and 4) biostatistics and research design. The research of the Training Program faculty involves longstanding collaborations with the UM School of Medicine (UMSM) Divisions of Gerontology, Nephrology, and Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (Pitt-GSPH), and NIA-Gerontology Research Center (NIA-GRC). Trainees receive laboratory and clinical research experience with UMCP Primary Mentors and Secondary and Associate Mentors from UMSM, NIAGRC, and Pitt-GSPH. Coursework and laboratory experiences provide the basis for each fellow's dissertation research. Our previous PhD trainees have published numerous papers in clinical, gerontology, and physiology journals, and all fellows have gone on to NIH postdoctoral training and faculty positions. We propose to support 5-6 fellows for 4 yrs to provide an optimal training experience. Such training clearly produces PhDs with an integrated knowledge of exercise biology and aging that will complete postdoctoral fellowships and become academic faculty members.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 52 publications
