? ? Despite increasing attention and research, sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HIV-1 are serious health and economic problems in the United States. Training future investigators in basic and clinical research that focuses on STDs and HIV-1 and behavioral research that focuses on adolescents is important from both a biologic and public health perspective. In this context, this is the first competitive renewal of """"""""Training in Sexually Transmitted Diseases Including HIV"""""""" at Indiana University. In the first funding period, our program consisted of 5 mentors and had 2 postdoctoral slots per year. Despite the small size of the program, we trained 5 PhDs and 2 MDs who were productive and have continued to do research in the area. We also achieved gender and minority balance (3 females, 4 males, 2 African Americans) among our trainees. In this renewal, we increased the number of mentors from 5 to 9 and requested a modest increase in the number of postdoctoral slots from 2 to 3 per year. There are essentially three tracks in the program. The basic science track focuses on the pathogenesis of and host responses to STDs and HIV-1. A second track focuses on behaviors that lead to acquisition of STDs, particularly in adolescents, and a third track focuses on clinical studies of HIV-1 and metabolic dysregulation. Postdoctoral trainees must be MDs or PhDs with interest in STD or HIV-1 research. MD candidates may be Infectious Disease Fellows or Adolescent Medicine Fellows. PhDs may have primary appointments in the Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Medicine or Pediatrics. All training venues are open to the candidates. Our goal is to train future faculty members who are conversant with basic, clinical and behavioral aspects of STDs and HIV-1. An important feature of the program is the interdisciplinary curriculum, which includes required attendance at an extensive course in STD and HIV research given annually at the University of Washington, an ethics course, a grant writing workshop and a research conference. Elective courses are available in molecular methods, research design, biostatistics and epidemiology or in the Clinical Investigator Training Enhancement (CITE) program, which leads to a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation. The training faculty is composed of 9 senior mentors who have stable federal funding and extensive training records. These mentors work collaboratively on HPV, Haemophilus ducreyi, basic or clinical aspects of HIV-1, behavioral factors which lead to acquisition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chalmydia trachomatis, or Trichomonas vaginalis, and vaccine acceptance for STDs and topical microbicides. Nine resource faculty provide an important educational component to our program and will have the opportunity to achieve mentor status should they meet certain criteria and are approved by the Executive Board. ? ? ? ? ?
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