This Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program research training proposal is submitted jointly by faculty of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD) at the University of Georgia (UGA) and faculty of the Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (ITROMID). ITROMID is a joint training program between the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) that capitalizes on the research foundation of KEMRI and the academic base of JKUAT. We will develop Kenyan biomedical investigators with research competence and independence in the areas of host/parasite and host/vector relationships related to malaria and schistosomiasis. Trainers in this proposal are a productive, multi-disciplinary group of 12 scientists/educators who work very effectively on these diseases in both field-based and laboratory-based settings. This training proposal is founded on NIH R01 grants and other funded projects held collaboratively between UGA and ITROMID scientists. These projects have already demonstrated the ability of UGA/ITROMID scientists to jointly pursue productive research and train predoctoral students. Through academic studies and collaborative research on these major public health problems in Kenya, UGA and ITROMID will provide excellence in biomedical training for young Kenyan scientists. Trainees will be highly qualified Kenyan or regional students with first class academic training. They will work with internationally experienced scientists who have demonstrated high caliber training skills. Research areas will include the immunology, genetics, biochemistry, and cell and molecular biology of schistosomiasis and malaria and the vectors responsible for their transmission. Educational experiences for predoctoral trainees will focus on appropriate course work and in depth thesis research. Postdoctoral training will focus on research. Both pre and postdoctoral trainees will participate in journal club, seminar and colloquial experiences to broaden their perspectives in relation to research integrity, human subjects, and analytical approaches, and lead them to scientific independence. Programs will assist trainees in how to stabilize their future careers through re-entry grants, collaborations, grant writing, short-term overseas opportunities, and a variety of survival skills. Funding is requested for 5 years to support 4 predoctoral and 3 postdoctoral trainees.
