The Infectious Disease Pathogenesis Research Training Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill develops independent scientists with expertise in biological, epidemiological, and translational research in the pathogenesis of infectious agents. We seek continued support to build further upon 29 years of continuous funding and productivity. The Program is anchored by training mentors from the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, and distinguished by the recruitment of talented trainees to specific research programs. We continue to receive applications from excellent candidates that exceed our training capacity. We propose to support the training of four postdoctoral fellows per year, a roughly equal number of MD and PhD investigators, to foster the scientific expertise to understand the pathogenesis and control of infectious diseases, and the career skills required contribute to biomedical advancements in challenging times. Some trainees will choose to receive formal training in methods of public health or molecular biology research. All trainees will participate in the course, Responsible Conduct of Research. In this application we report on the training of 30 postdoctoral fellows (19 PhDs, 11 MDs) in the past 10 years, including 20 women and 3 African Americans. Six trainees have received MPH degrees in Epidemiology, and 2 current trainees are degree candidates. Most trainees have made excellent progress since leaving the Program, and have received extramural federal funding to support their research. In this renewal we have included 7 new faculty, representing the growth of the infectious disease community at UNC, and exciting new areas of research. We offer a broad range of research opportunities, including work in international settings (e.g. Malawi), emerging pathogens/biothreats, and extensive resources to facilitate translational studies. Trainees will also benefit from greatly expanded research space on campus due to ongoing construction and recruitment. In summary, we believe the mentors, the trainees and the environment are well suited to support the goals of the application, and ongoing critical research issues in the pathogenesis and epidemiology of infectious diseases.
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