This application seeks support for four highly qualified predoctoral candidates committed to innovative research careers in the area of obesity, metabolic disorders and nutrition. Our training program brings together two well-established PhD programs at Tufts University, the Biochemical & Molecular Nutrition (BMN) Program at the Gerald J and Dorothy R Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology (CMDB) Program at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. Both programs reside on Tufts? Health Sciences Campus and each will contribute strong support through infrastructure for graduate admissions, student services, registration and tracking of academic progress and importantly, financial support for students. Students who have been admitted to the BMN or CMDB PhD programs, completed their first year of training with distinction, joined one of the training program faculty?s laboratory groups, selected a thesis topic within the scope of the training program, and stated their intent to pursue a career as a research scientists will be eligible for appointment to the training program. A Steering Committee will advise the training program?s leadership on program operations. They will review candidates for appointment and reappointment, assess the alignment of thesis projects with the training program?s goals, and evaluating trainee progress based on a written Thesis Advisory Committee report. The program faculty have been selected based on their research activities and track record or their potential as mentors. Of note, the training program faculty have a strong collaborative record of research funding and publication. We will prepare PhD students to become independent research scientists through thesis research and didactic and experiential learning. Trainees will be enrolled in either of two schools and their programs share a similar philosophy and sequence. Both cohorts of trainees will have access to the same career development and skill building activities, will interact through shared seminars, journal clubs and student research presentations, take some courses together and benefit from the programs and resources of the NIDDK-funded Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center. Indeed, our trainees will have a broader exposure to scientific ideas and approaches than those in traditional programs at either school. By design, this training plan will serve to foster cohesion among program trainees and help them learn to work in a multi-disciplinary environment. Program components include didactic coursework, seminar-bases courses, a qualifying examination, research rotations, thesis research, and career development planning. The training program is designed to be truly multi-disciplinary in approach and to provide a broad range of training opportunities with the ultimate goal of preparing trainees for successful careers as research scientists.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome and the associated complications of these disorders including type 2 diabetes mellitus, liver, kidney, and cardiovascular disease affect a large number of Americans. Nearly 40% of adults and over 20% of adolescents in the US are obese. Our training program is designed to prepare the next generation of biomedical scientists to work in multidisciplinary teams that bring together an in depth understanding of nutrition, metabolism, cell biology and genomics to address this critical public health problem.
