The UAB PRedoctoral Interdisciplinary renal physiology and MEdicine (PRIME) training program (Jennifer S. Pollock, PhD, Director; Paul Muntner, PhD, Associate Director) builds on established strengths in the kidney community at UAB incorporating basic, clinical, translational, and epidemiological investigation. The PRIME program brings together the Divisions of Nephrology, Pediatric Nephrology, Nephrology Research and Training Center (NRTC), Cardio-Renal Physiology and Medicine Section, O'Brien Center for Acute Kidney Injury, Center for Free Radical Biology (CFRB), Hepato-Renal Fibrocystic Center, HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology, Departments of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology, Pathology, Pathology, Surgery, Nutrition Sciences, Urology, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology providing a vibrant and effective interdisciplinary training environment and curriculum. These units enable an integrated and interdisciplinary landscape of collaborative science, which ranges from fundamental molecular discovery to translational and epidemiological research. These divisions, centers, and departments are all engaged in initiatives to build on state of the art kidney research with empowering and engaging faculty committed to training. This program includes established faculty and an explicit effort to incorporate young faculty to further strengthen the outstanding mentoring environment promoting development of all phases of this program. An effective interdisciplinary training program requires faculty with collaborative and synergistic scientific interests and projects, as well as systematic coordination of training opportunities facilitating promotion of life-long kidney investigators. The collaborative environment at UAB, embodied by the centers, programs, sections, and departments in this application, provides a strong research foundation. The committed training environment of the thematically organized Graduate Biomedical Sciences program in the School of Medicine, the graduate program in the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, and an outstanding UAB Office of Graduate Affairs and Postdoctoral Education, provide an ideal setting for the implementation of training in interdisciplinary kidney disease research. The training program is requesting 3 predoctoral training slots and expansion to 4 predoctoral slots in years 3, 4, and 5 (3-3-4-4-4) with each trainee participating in the program for 2 years with an optional third year.Required coursework will be incorporated into the individual development plan (IDP) of each trainee, which will be augmented by a broad interdisciplinary enrichment program. An executive committee will provide leadership for the PRIME program. The PRIME Internal Advisory Committee and PRIME External Advisory Committee will evaluate the overall performance of the PRIME Program. A series of benchmarks for progress will be formulated for each trainee and mentor and reviewed on a semi-annual basis. The members of the UAB training faculty are fully committed to continuing to provide mentorship, support, and guidance to graduate students to help them develop the tools and skills necessary to advance kidney disease research and be life-long kidney researchers.
This PRedoctoral Interdisciplinary renal physiology and MEdicine (PRIME) Training Program at UAB enables vibrant, interdisciplinary, fundamental, translational, and epidemiological research training. There is a large, diverse faculty with interests centered on kidney and kidney-related physiology and pathophysiology research; epidemiology, outcomes and prevention; experimental therapeutics and biomarkers; genetics and functional genomics; and mediators of kidney disease. The training faculty, resources, and environment provide an exceptionally strong mentoring environment to train the next generation of kidney disease researchers.
