The Predoctoral Genetics Training Program (GTP) is an interdisciplinary program that provides enriched genetics education for students receiving their Ph.D. degrees in six departments: Biological Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary biology (EEB), Human Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB) and Pharmacology. Our goal is to train investigators who can apply disciplinary expertise to the new research opportunities of the genomic era. The GTP includes 62 faculty members and 21 trainees. During the current funding period, 38 students received the Ph.D. degree and the curriculum was updated to include training in computational biology and quantitative data analysis. Ongoing research projects range from microbial and viral gene regulation to yeast, plant, fly, mouse and human genetics, and functional genomics. Students are usually supported for their second and third years of graduate study. Most of our graduate students have gone on to productive research careers in academia and industry. Trainees benefit from a University environment that is strongly oriented towards graduate education, with a large and interactive research community that is among the top ten in NIH funding. University-supported core laboratories facilitate trainees'research by providing access to state-of -the-art technology including transgenic models, DNA sequencing, genotyping, and large-scale gene expression. The curriculum includes formal coursework in genetics and interactive seminars. Each year, trainees select four outstanding geneticists from outside the University to lecture on an area of interest. Our annual retreat features an invited keynote speaker and oral and poster presentations by current and former trainees. The GTP, one of the oldest NIH-supported training programs, continues to be a vital component of graduate education and biomedical research at the University of Michigan.
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