Training Program in Molecular Metabolism

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ABSTRACT The Molecular Metabolism Training Program (MMTP) at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) will train a new generation of academic scientists committed to conducting cutting-edge research in metabolism and metabolic disease. Central features of this program include integration of innovative platforms in ‘omics, microbiome analysis, animal physiology, imaging, and other technologies for analyzing metabolism; unique coursework in metabolism and metabolic disease, biostatistics, epidemiology, and computational analysis with a public health focus; and a collaborative faculty based at HSPH and adjacent institutions in the Longwood Medical Area. MMTP leverages the innovative training environment offered at a top public health institution, supplementing it with rigorous training in emerging molecular analysis tools. Trainees will study both individual and population aspects of disease and other unique resources offered at a school of public health. The vibrant community of twenty-one faculty mentors studies multidisciplinary questions such as the interactions between the immune system and exercise or over-nutrition; the effect of the microbiome on metabolism; the role of lipid drop or mitochondrial dynamics in metabolic homeostasis; or the effects of metabolic flux on energy metabolism in well and disease states. Research focuses on understanding the most significant challenges to global public health, including metabolic syndrome and the related lipotoxic diseases of type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic diseases of an aging population, immunometabolism, and immune and microbiome contributions to digestive health. We are requesting funding for three new predoctoral students and one postdoctoral fellow every year, so the T32 would support twenty trainees over its five years. Pre-doctoral students will obtain a PhD in Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) from one of the most highly ranked public health doctoral programs in the nation. BPH attracts a diverse student body and has a successful track record in supporting these students. Postdoctoral fellows will have access to coursework, mentors, and a highly interactive metabolism research community. MMTP will thus train a diverse group of interdisciplinary scientists who can apply innovative research methods to understand fundamental questions in human metabolism.