This grant is the major support of pre- and postdoctoral trainees in the Graduate Group of Nutrition. The program at UCD is unusual in many respects and a model for training in an applied science, such as Nutr. There are 30 faculty with basic and clinical emphases who are committed to mentorship and didactic training. The training program is establish-ed and successful. There is a history of strong scientific collaborations among basic and clinical nutrition faculty scientists through joint academic appointments and an NIH-funded Clin. Nutr. Res. Unit (CNRU). There is also strong support from the Univ. (e.g. the Div Graduate Studies matches the number of predoc fellows supported on this grant and there are financial commitments from Med., Vet Med, and Agr.). The program provides training for pre(n=3 NIH funded + 3 univ match) and post-doc fellows (n+4). Fellows are immersed in academic/research programs using modern model systems and are trained in integrative approaches from the whole organism to cellular processes. Fellows chose from one of 5 research tracks in nutrition and metabolic regulation: 1. obesity and energy metabolism ; 2. growth, development, and aging; 3. lipid metabolism and disorders; 4. alcohol metabolism and disorders; 5. nutrition, inflammation and immunity. The program is supervised by the Director and Co-Director with input from the Exec. Advis. Board (EAB) and External Advis. Committees (EAC) and participating faculty. Criteria for selection of predoc trainees include evidence of research ability, MS or BS in nutrition or other biological science, excellent academic record, high GRE scores, and strong recommendations. Pre-doc training leads to a PhD in Nutrition or closely related discipline. Postdocs will hold MD, DVM, or PHD in nutrition, biochem, physiol, or molec. biol. Selection criteria include prior educational/residency record and commitment to a career in nutr. research and/or teaching. One or more of the post-doc fellows will be MDs aspiring to career in academic medicine. Trainees participate in graduate courses in nutr. and related subjects. Clinical training of MD fellows is supervised in the Div. Clin. Nutr. and Metab. (DCNM) prior to initiation of the traineeship. Trainees meet 2X/ wk with training faculty via 1) Journal club to discuss published work and to get critical feedback on their own research, and 2) in weekly seminars held by the Graduate Group of Nutr. Fellows meet 2X/yr with their indiv. academic advisory committee. Fellows prepare an annual formal research proposal which is evaluated by the EAC and EAB. Upon completion of training, fellows are expected to have gained a fundamental understanding of the interactions of nutrients and genetic background in metabolic regulation in addition to skills in experimental design, execution, data analysis, interpretation, and presentation of completed research. Fellows are prepared primarily for careers in research/teaching. We also spend a considerable amount of training efforts in insuring that our graduates have the vision and adaptability to work in both government and business environments where, in many cases, the skills and views of health professions trained in nutr. are in urgent demand.
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