This proposal requests funding to continue a program for predoctoral training in the molecular basis of immunity and pathogenesis of infectious diseases. The training program is centered in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. This proposal seeks funding for 4 predoctoral positions per year for 5 years. The goal of the training program is to prepare trainees for careers in research and teaching. The training program in its present form was developed in 1985, when the Program Director, Dr. Steven Mizel, became the Departmental Chair. Training of predoctoral students consists of a program of coursework and research leading to a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology. The training faculty consists of nine Departmental faculty and two faculty members who hold cross-appointments in the Department. The faculty includes established investigators in the fields of immunology, inflammation, bacteriology, virology, and viral and bacterial pathogenesis. Attractive features of the training program include: 1) experienced faculty with a high degree of extramural funding and a strong commitment to collaborative research; 2) extensive faculty participation in the training of each student; and 3) An intensive recruiting strategy that has been highly successful in the recruitment of under-represented minority students and has maintained the overall high quality of matriculating students. The success of the training program is evidenced by the very strong publication record of the trainees and the very high quality of their subsequent postdoctoral positions.
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