Vaccination has had a remarkable impact on the health of the world's population and has been shown to be a safe, cost-effective and powerful means of preventing deaths and improving quality of life. The University of Maryland Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) training grant in Vaccinology has trained successful vaccinology scientists for 20 years. Our program continues to innovate and incorporate new technologies, strategies, data analytic tools and educational approaches to prepare the next generation of leaders in Vaccinology. Collectively, our 32 training grant faculty represent one of the largest, most productive groups of academic researchers in the country who, among them, study all phases of vaccinology. Each is an independent, established investigator who has been selected not only for a particular expertise but also for her/his experience and commitment to training postdoctoral MDs and PhDs. Our well-established program includes a core curriculum designed to convey the interdisciplinary nature of the field and provide context for the specific area of research. Additional academic work, including required training in the responsible conduct of research, professional development, and a highly structured mentoring program, will be combined with a tailored research experience in one of two tracks: 1) Pathogenesis, Immunology and Antigen Discovery Track - trains basic scientists and physician-scientists in laboratory research, or 2) Clinical, Epidemiologic Science and Policy track -trains physician-scientists and epidemiologists in human controlled infection models, clinical trial study design and execution, and vaccine policy and epidemiology. Our total applicant pool has tripled in the past 5 years, and of the new entrants to our overall CVD fellowship program, nearly 50% are underrepresented minorities (URM). Recruitment of trainees from URM is given significant priority through programs at the University and those specific to our training grant. Our training program is guided by two Co- directors, a senior advisor, and a highly qualified Advisory Committee. The ultimate measure of our training program is the success of our trainees. Our senior trainees are leaders in academics and industry, and our more recent trainees are building excellent records of publication, funding and awards, as well as securing positions in academia and government.
Future advancements in our ability to develop, license and deploy effective vaccines against infectious and non-infectious diseases depends on advanced training of scientists in the multidisciplinary, rapidly evolving field of Vaccinology. This T32 Training Program in Vaccinology provides post-doctoral fellows with the analytical skills required to critically posit, evaluate and advance a focused and relevant scientific question within the broad field of Vaccinology. Towards this goal, talented trainees receive exceptional academic support, research guidance, and mentoring from our dedicated faculty, as evidenced by the scientific and career successes of our prior trainees in the last two decades of this grant.
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