The ?Multidisciplinary Training in Immunology and Infectious Diseases? training grant seeks to produce outstanding independent biomedical scientists who investigate mechanisms, preventions, and cures for infectious agents. This includes the host and immune response to infections, combined with an understanding of both the basic science and clinical manifestations of infectious processes. This T32 Program is now in its 9th year of training predoctoral students (4 positions). We have had 11 trainees, 7 of whom have completed their Ph.D. in an average of 4.7 years with 4.9 publications each on average. Average duration of T32 support was 2.6 years. All previous trainees are still in science postdoctoral training or are faculty. Five (45%) of trainees have been women, and three (27%) qualify as enhancing diversity due to disadvantaged backgrounds. During the past 5 years the number of training faculty has grown from 12 to 15, all with strong histories of funding, trainee success, and a commitment to mentoring. Even the 3 new faculty have NIH funding and their first graduate students have completed their Ph.D. The program is highly translational, with 5 physician-scientists among the training faculty. At the germinal center of the program is the Vermont Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases (VCIID), funded for the past 9 years by a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant from NIGMS, as well as strong institutional support. It is recognized by the UVM College of Medicine as one of its 5 Centers of Excellence, and is also one of the 4 research tracks in our umbrella graduate program. The VCIID-COBRE has 26 faculty and fosters an interdisciplinary environment and collaborations between basic science and clinical faculty through various venues. The VCIID provides a vibrant and rigorous training atmosphere for predoctoral trainees, as mentoring is a central component of the COBRE program. Training is mentor-based, but is enriched by VCIID Research-in-Progress meetings, journals clubs, retreats, seminar series with outside speakers, didactic courses in advanced immunology, microbiology, grant and manuscript writing, survival skills, and career opportunities, all needed to excel in a modern research environment. Trainees also have several venues at which to present their research, as well as the opportunity to attend national meetings. The research focus areas of the program include pathogenesis of infections by parasites, RNA viruses, bacteria, as well as cellular and signal pathways of innate and adaptive immunity. Trainee progress will be carefully monitored and evaluated by the mentors, the Program Director, and the Steering Committee. The overall program will be regularly evaluated by an Internal and External Advisory Committees.
Infectious Diseases remain the leading cause worldwide of morbidity and mortality. In the face of climate change, antibiotic resistance, mass population migrations, and immunodeficiency syndromes, emerging infections present an ever-increasing threat to human health. These stark facts make the need for training future generations of researchers in this field particularly urgent.
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