Overview: For 30 years, this institutional training program at the University of Minnesota has focused on the preparation of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for research and study in the field of drug addiction. The faculty mentors are all members of the University interdepartmental Graduate Program of Neuroscience. The 13 current trainers span four departments within the Academic Health Center. Our trainers' research programs are strongly supported by extramural funds. Each shares the common interest in understanding the changes that occur to the nervous system with drug abuse. Objective: The proposed program is to support six predoctoral trainees and three postdoctoral fellows: the same number of trainees supported by the current funding period. The vast majority of predoctoral trainees are students in the interdepartmental Graduate Program of Neuroscience. This program has been ranked as one of the top three graduate programs within the entire University. Exceptional graduate students in departmental graduate programs (e.g. Pharmacology) that minor in Neuroscience are also eligible. Graduate students become eligible for support at the end of their first year, once they select a faculty mentor who is part of the training program. For postdoctoral fellows, a strong publication history and previous training in addiction research are the most important criteria for selection to the training grant. Of the eligible postdoctoral fellows working in the laboratories of our trainers, only the top third are selected. Rationale and Design: The motivation for this training program is for all trainees to experience the breadth of topics, scientific approaches, and methodologies taken to study drug addiction. Additionally, research programs across investigators are highly collaborative. This enrichment is intended to maximize the trainees' potentials for rewarding careers in scientific thought and research. Active classroom activities and journal clubs, along with a seminar series and a program retreat reinforce the cohesive community. Additionally, the University's committed support to the neurosciences (over 100 million dollars in just the last five years) is unequalled at the institution. While breadth is important, each trainee has his/her own individual development plan. Trainees work with both their mentor as well as additional trainers to further their specific career goals. This is true for postdoctoral fellows as well, where both the PI as well as additional trainers monitor progress. Notably, the graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are not the only ones receiving preparation. Our trainers undergo additional instruction, to ensure they are better mentors beyond just laboratory advisors, which ensures an optimal environment for training.
Understanding the changes that occur to the nervous system following drug abuse is of essential importance if we are to successfully treat addiction. This proposal seeks continued support for the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at the University of Minnesota working in the laboratories of neuroscientists that are dedicated to understanding the neurobiological changes that follow drug addiction.
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