(provide by applicant) The Toxicology Training Program at the University of Arizona has a long-standing reputation for producing many successful Ph.D.s. Graduates are now key players in academia, industry, and government. In response to current and future demand for qualified graduates in the environmental health sciences, the investigators have enhanced their systems-based Toxicology training with an emphasis on cellular and molecular mechanisms that incorporate genomics and proteomics approaches. The cutting-edge interdisciplinary research programs of 21 training grant faculty members, state-of-the-art technologies developed through the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) and translational approaches undertaken by the NIEHS Superfund Program provide an exceptionally stimulating environment for the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The Research and Facility Cores supported by the SWEHSC extend the training environment from a single laboratory-oriented domain into a multidisciplinary experience strongly supportive of interactive and collaborative research. The university provides financial support for first year Ph.D. students in the Graduate Programs of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Physiological Sciences, and Cancer Biology, resulting in a large pool of qualified candidates for competitive selection of pre-doctoral trainees. Pre-doctoral training is achieved through a combination of coursework, laboratory research, and supplemental enrichment activities. Postdoctoral trainees have ample opportunities to participate in innovative research programs and to develop their professional skills in oral and written communication and in supervision. Over the past five years, the investigators have generated six new graduate courses: Molecular Toxicology, Toxicogenomics and Proteomics, Advanced Toxicology, Environmental Toxicology Colloquium, Ethics, and Scientific Writing. The curricular changes parallel the evolving expertise of the Training Grant Faculty in genomics and proteomics. They have recruited five senior (Professor) and three junior (Assistant Professor) faculty into the Training Grant, which significantly enhances strength in an evolving theme of molecular toxicology training. The request for continuation of NIEHS support is validated by the highly successful nature of their program, the clear demand for their graduates, the increasing number of students interested in toxicology, institutional commitment, strong and well-funded research programs of the faculty, and the excellence of the training environment.
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