The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC/AMC) Pharmacology Graduate Training Program is currently in its 41st year of NIGMS funding. The Training Program distinguishes itself by providing a highly interactive environment in which students obtain a broadly-based integrative perspective on science and training in the fundamental knowledge defining pharmacology. The Principle Investigator for the Training Grant is Dr. Mark Dell'Acqua, Vice Chair of the Department of Pharmacology. The Training Program Director and co- PI of the Training Grant is Dr. David Port, who Chairs the Graduate Training Committee (GTC), which provides the day-to-day oversight for this Training Program. The ~50 members of the Training Program faculty are drawn from numerous departments within the School of Medicine and have been recruited to provide broad, multidisciplinary training opportunities in neuropharmacology, cell signaling, pharmacogenetics, cancer biology, cardiovascular/pulmonary biology, molecular structure, and bioinformatics. Training Program faculty are all accomplished, committed researchers and mentors with significant extramural funding. The sources of students entering the Training Program include direct applicants to the Program, as well as students who transition from `umbrella' programs (Biomedical Sciences and Medical Scientist Training Programs). Hallmarks of the Program are a comprehensive didactic component, 3 laboratory rotations, a strong emphasis on student presentations in seminar settings, and a wide choice of thesis research options. Career development in the pharmacological sciences and student initiative are also emphasized. The Training Program currently has a total of 33 students including 7 students from the MSTP track. The competitiveness of the students for individual national fellowships, high quality publications in peer-reviewed journals and invitations to participate in national meetings are all measures by which the successful training of the students is gauged. Retention of the graduates in academic, industry and government positions is another measure of the success of the Training Program. The Program continues to thrive and meet the national demands for individuals, trained as pharmacologists, who are individually astute researchers, can be multidisciplinary research team members, and also have the breadth of knowledge to plan and communicate effectively across a spectrum of technologies. The current proposal for a renewal of an INCLUDE Down syndrome supplement to the existing parent Program that will serve to continue to enhance the already robust environment for training graduate students in areas of scientific enquiry germane to Down syndrome and its co-occuring conditions. As articulated in the proposal, a number of faculty mentors in the training program are deeply invested in Down syndrome related research and are actively engaged in training mentees in this area.
The primary objective of this Training Grant is to facilitate the education and training of the next generation of research scientists in the discipline of pharmacology, which seeks to understand how the use of chemical and biological can affect biological systems and mitigate disease. Students in the Pharmacology Training Program investigate basic mechanisms and therapeutic approaches associated with numerous important public health issues including: neurological and psychiatric disorders, cancer, immunology, microbiology, and cardiovascular medicine. Trainees are taught the process of scientific thought and its communication in both oral and written forms. The purpose of this INCLUDE supplement application to the existing parent Program is to enhance the already robust environment for training graduate students in areas of scientific enquiry germane to Down syndrome and its co-occurring conditions.
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