This application proposes a comprehensive pre-doctoral training program in Immunology and Infectious Disease at The Rockefeller University, an institution with a rich history in these areas. We propose to support 4 predoctoral trainees during years 1-3 of graduate study. The Immunology and Infectious Disease training program would be a specialized unit of the Ph.D. program at Rockefeller, and is specifically designed for immunology and infectious disease training. This program will include required course work and rotations, to provide a strong intellectual foundation;a special seminar series, where trainees can present their results and gain experience in oral presentation;and extensive research opportunities. We will provide careful oversight of the trainees'activities and progress annually by meetings with the program Director;a Program Advisory Committee of selected faculty for general curriculum and research advice;and a Faculty Advisory Committee, specifically designed for each trainee to provide detailed experimental guidance. The training faculty would be 17 strong investigators, ranging from full Professors, with extensive experience in training students, to newly hired Assistant Professors. The faculty has expertise in a very broad range of immunology and infectious disease, and the program would encourage trainees to perform collaborative work in various areas with different faculty. The applicant pool is outstanding, containing a large number of undergraduate students who have superb academic and research accomplishments, and who are primarily interested in immunology and infectious disease. Finally, the University provides extensive support for the graduate program in general, which would benefit the proposed training program. The confluence of these attributes defines a specific training program in immunology and infectious disease that would equip trainees with the educational background, analytical abilities, and experimental expertise to forge future advances in biology. The research supported by this training grant is directly relevant to public health, including the development of treatments for cancer and new vaccines for HIV and Hepatitis C.
