Hematopoiesis Training Grant

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ABSTRACT The Hematopoiesis Training Grant at the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1999 with the primary goal to prepare graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for careers as successful investigators working in areas related to hematopoiesis and blood disorders. The Program has trained 30 post-doctoral and 18 pre-doctoral scientists, including 3 post-doctoral and 4 pre-doctoral trainees currently in training. It is a multi-disciplinary, cross-departmental training program that capitalizes on the extensive resources of the Penn School of Medicine (PSOM), the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and School of Veterinary Medicine. The Program draws pre-doctoral candidates from the large and highly regarded PhD and MD-PhD programs at the PSOM and post- doctoral applicants from the competitive hematology and pathology fellowship programs at PSOM and CHOP, and from leading laboratories in the basic science departments at Penn. Research mentorship is provided by 30 scientifically diverse trainers of all academic ranks with research interests that encompass virtually all areas of hematopoiesis as well as young faculty who bring in cutting-edge technology to hematology research. The academic elements of the Program include an integrated curriculum of coursework, seminars, laboratory work, skills training, formal and informal mentoring and career counseling, presentation, and manuscript and grant writing, which are effectively combined to train new investigators in the fundamentals of hematopoiesis. Trainees are evaluated on the basis of written and oral presentations, Individualized Development Plans, and status conferences with the PI/PD and both research and Program mentors. The success of this comprehensive approach is indicated by the 100% graduation rate with first-author papers, the large numbers of predoctoral appointees continuing in postdoctoral research, the number who have been awarded funding following Program graduation, the number of trainee publications directly related to their T32 supported research (postdoctoral alumni averaged 4.3 peer-reviewed papers and predoctoral alumni 3.6 papers), and the number of postdoctoral appointees who have progressed to leadership positions in academia (56%) and industry (32%). The Hematopoiesis Program underwent a change in leadership in December 2017. The new PI/PD is well supported by the experienced Oversight Committees, including an Internal Advisory Board (IAB) and a new External Advisory Board (EAB). A comprehensive review by the PI, IAB and EAB in the inaugural T32 retreat resulted in the recommendation to increase the interactions among the trainees/mentors by establishing annual retreat and quarterly research seminars and instituting mentor training for all ranks. The review also identified a large pool of highly qualified pre-doctoral MD-PhD students at Penn with career interests in hematopoiesis, as well as a continuous influx of faculty in hematopoiesis-focused research to Penn/CHOP. Consequently, this application requests one additional position that is dedicated to these combined-degree students and another new postdoc position to encourage and support their career progression in hematopoiesis research.