application) This grant is a major support of pre- and postdoctoral trainees in the Graduate Group of Nutrition. The program at UCD is considered a model for training in the applied science of nutrition. There are 34 faculty with basic and clinical emphases who are committed to mentorship and didactic training. The training program is established 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. There is also strong univ. support. The program provides training for pre- (n=3 + 1 minority) and post-doc fellows (n=3). Fellows are immersed in academic/research programs and are trained in integrative approaches from the whole organism to cellular processes. Fellows will do multiple lab rotations. Fellows choose from one of four research tracks in nutrient-gene interactions and disease development: 1. growth and development; 2. nutrition, inflammation & immunity; 3. obesity & energy metabolism; 4. aging. The program is supervised by the Director and Co-Director with input from the Exec. Committee (EC) and External Advis. Board (EAB) and participating faculty. Criteria for selection of predoc trainees include evidence of research ability, MS or BS in nutrition or other biological science, outstanding 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 teaching. One or more of the post-doc fellows will be MDs desiring a career in academic medicine. Trainees participate in graduate courses in nutr. and related subjects and bioethics. Clinical training of MD fellows is supervised in the Div. of Endocrinology, Clin. Nutr. and Vascular Biology, 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 3X/yr with their indiv. academic advisory committee. Fellows prepare a research proposal, which is evaluated by the EC and EAB and revised and submitted to NIH. Upon completion of training, fellows will have gained a fundamental understanding of the interactions of nutrients and genetic background in disease development and progression in addition to skills in experimental design, execution, data analysis, interpretation, and presentation of completed research. Fellows are prepared primarily for careers in research. Throughout our training we work to ensure that our graduates have vision and adaptability to work in environments where the skills and views of health professionals trained in nutrition are in urgent demand.
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