Molecular Microbial Pathogenesis Training Program

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An emerging and reemerging infectious disease crisis exist throughout the world today. Further, bioterrorism using microbes or their products poses significant threat to the USA and the entire world. Because there is a national need for scientists with expertise and training in several areas of infectious diseases, in this fourth renewal application we are expanding the scope of our Molecular Parasitology Training Program into Molecular Microbial Pathogenesis Training Program to provide graduate training in pathogenesis of diseases caused by parasites, bacteria and viruses. There continues to be a need to increase the number of minority scientists who are conducting research in the area of tropical and infectious diseases. In order to address these issues we are requesting support to continue funding the Molecular Microbial Pathogenesis Training Program administered by the Department of Microbiology at Meharry Medical College. The proposed program will provide opportunity for training six African Americans or other graduate students who are committed to a career in infectious diseases. Twenty one core faculty members at Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University will participate in the proposed graduate training. The diseases to be investigated include, malaria, Leishmaniasis, African trypanosomiasis, American trypanosomiasis, AIDS, viral gastroenteritis and encephalitis, septic shock, endocarditis, periodontitis, and the emerging pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis Bartonella bacilliformis and Helicobacterpylori. Students in the program will meet the Ph.D. requirements of the graduate program at Meharry and the requirements of one of the three Ph.D. tracks in the Department of Microbiology: (i) microbiology and immunology; (ii) cell and molecular biology; and (iii) genetics. This training program will also include the yearly participation of the pre-doctoral students in a Tropical and Infectious Diseases Symposium which was initiated at Meharry in 1984 and continues to be the venue each Spring for outstanding research reports on recent advances in the biochemistry, molecular biology and immunology of Tropical and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Fernando Villalta, Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Meharry Medical College, will serve as a Program Director and will be responsible for the overall administration of the program. Dr. Maria F. Lima, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Meharry and member of this training program, will serve as a Co-Director together with Dr. Jacek Hawiger at Vanderbilt University. They will be assisted by the Molecular Microbial Pathogenesis Training Program Advisory Committee consisting of training faculty from Meharry and Vanderbilt as well as an External Advisory Committee. Each trainee's Committee on Instruction will include members of Meharry faculty and a faculty mentor from Vanderbilt. In addition, each trainee will take at least one didactic course at Vanderbilt and participate in training there as needed. All trainees and faculty in the program will participate in a seminar series that include presentations by faculty and students in the program. This is a strong research training program administered at an institution with an excellent record of recruiting and retaining minority students in graduate programs. The goals of the proposed training program will be enhanced by the increasing number of collaborative research and training programs at Meharry and Vanderbilt resulting from a formal alliance between the institutions in 1999. The support requested will provide unique opportunities for these students and provide a positive step to address the shortage of research on emerging infections as well as the shortage of minority scientists in this discipline.