We propose a new, collaborative, and interdisciplinary training in demography, genetics, and aging by faculty in the Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) and the Institute for Behavioral Genetics (IBG) at the University of Colorado Boulder. Together with participating aging experts from the University of Colorado Denver, the program will include four cohorts of pre-doctoral and postdoctoral trainees over a five year period. The program is comprised of 14 faculty from 6 departments affiliated with IBS (Economics, Sociology, Anthropology, Geography, History, and Political Science), 10 faculty from 3 departments affiliated with IBG (Psychology, Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, and Integrative Physiology), and 4 faculty from 3 departments at the University of Colorado Denver (Health and Behavioral Sciences, Sociology, School of Medicine). Researchers from the two institutes have had success with collaborative research projects sponsored by NIH and these projects have produced important contributions to the social and biological sciences. IBG has a formal and successful training program and the Population Program within IBS has recently implemented a smaller Demography Certificate program but to date there are no formal mechanisms in place to link these two programs for a regular training in both demography and behavioral genetics. Our proposed pre-doctoral training in both demography and genetics involves 11 core required courses, including 3 courses on aging, and 2 secondary courses in demography and behavior genetics over a three year period. Postdoctoral trainees will enroll in at least one course per year. All trainees will participate in IBG's journal club. They will present at the Population Association of America, Behavior Genetics, and Gerontological Society of America annual meetings. They will participate in the Integrating Genetics and the Social Sciences annual conference in Boulder and they will enroll in a course specifically designed for training in Demography and Genetics. They will also receive specialized training from specialty methods workshops on demography, genetics and aging. Finally they will write and present the capstone third year paper. In line with NIH suggestions from the Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group, trainees will be monitored regularly with Individual Development Plans.
The scientific study of gene-environment interactions has expanded rapidly in the past decade and empirical research papers on the topic have appeared in nearly all leading social science journals yet there is no existing training program for predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers in this area. Training program members have made important contributions (both methodological and theoretical) to the field of gene-environment interplay and to aging research in general and the University of Colorado has developed a reputation as a leader in these important areas. This proposed training program will enable the next generation of scholars to tackle complex public health issues such as increasing rates of obesity, individual differences in stress sensitivity, and complex and comorbid substance use disorders with innovative and cutting edge approaches.
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