Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases Training Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this program is to train physician-scientists in biomedical research, with an emphasis on the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. The focus will be on diseases of worldwide importance, including tuberculosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, hepatitis C, and AIDS. The training program will utilize the resources of Weill Medical College of Cornell University (W. Johnson, E. Cesarman, K. Deitsch, S. Ehrt, L. Golightly, J. Ho, C. Nathan, D. Schnappinger, T. Templeton), the Rockefeller University (D. Ho, C. Rice, R. Steinman), and the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (D. Ho). The program's senior faculty are funded scientists, committed to research and training. Six new potential mentors have been included - all with independent NIH research support. The training faculty has a long history of successful collaboration in research and training of international biomedical scientists through NIH Fogarty programs and have applied that experience to the training of US physician-scientists. During the current funding period (1999-2003), 10 trainees have been appointed--four have received and two have submitted NIH "K" awards or research supplements. The subject areas for these awards are KSHV-HHV8, HIV pathogenesis, HIV-TB coinfection, HIV vaccine development, leishmania pathogenesis and M. tuberculosis-NO interaction. In each of these awards, the primary T32 mentor continues as the K award mentor. Two former trainees are conducting research and training on HIV vaccines and bioterrorism. The two most recent trainees are in the process of defining their research projects (HIV-TB interaction and HIVhepatitis C coinfection). There have been three minority trainees (2 African-American, 1 Hispanic) and three female trainees. The program will continue to recruit physicians who have completed their clinical training (medicine, pediatrics, pathology) and are seeking academic investigative careers. The training faculty share the view that the physician-scientist is truly an endangered species. This training grant will provide young physicians with an opportunity to make the transition from their clinical training to the laboratory. The research training will be for 2-3 years with five fellows each year. Trainees will have the opportunity to work with outstanding mentors in Haiti (D. Fitzgerald, J. Pape) and in Brazil (E. Carvalho and A. Ko), if it is relevant to the US laboratory research. The research in Haiti and Brazil is focused on HIV natural history and transmission studies, opportunistic infections (leishmaniasis, tuberculosis), epidemiology, immunopathology, and interventions (behavioral, drug, vaccine).