Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Training Grant

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Project Summary: This is a proposal for the seeking support for the Institutional Training Program in Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology (SCOB) as a T90/R90 training program at the UConn Health, School of Dental Medicine. The SCOB program aims to train the next generation of scientists dedicated to addressing important problems in dental, oral, and craniofacial health through the application of state-of-the-art approaches to solve these problems. Our program incorporates didactic, research, and career development components to prepare a diverse cadre of individuals for productive research positions at academic, non-profit, government, biotechnology, or industry institutions. The program has and will continue to train scholars who can initiate and maintain funded research programs, who understand multidisciplinary research and who are prepared for the evolution of their research programs into new directions. Areas of research training include Advanced Materials Science, Behavioral and Social Sciences/Medicine, Cancer Biology, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Embryonic Stem Cell and Mesenchymal Stem Cell, Craniofacial and Skeletal Biology, Mathematical Modeling and Imaging Techniques, Mucosal Immunology and Microbiome and Regenerative Medicine. The major tracks of the training program are (i) DMD/PhD (7-8 yrs of training with 3-yrs of support from this training grant), (ii) PhD (4-5 yrs of training with 3 yrs of support from this training grant, and (iii) postdoctoral research (3 yrs training and support). The postdoctoral track supports individuals in different areas of research endeavor including Traditional post-PhD, Post-DMD in PhD training [including non-citizen], and post-DMD involved in post-doctoral training [including noncitizen]. After a rigorous application process that culminates in personal interviews, students are enrolled annually. To provide a solid, common foundation for our scholars/trainees, we have developed Core Activities required of all trainees in each training track. UConn Health has a dynamic group of faculties in various areas of research with highly successful collaborations among faculty throughout the Schools of Dental Medicine and Medicine and The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine. The Biomedical Science PhD program graduate faculty, active and new institutional research centers and clinical programs provide contemporary laboratory, translational and patient oriented research opportunities that enable a diversified training environment for the program tracks, allow flexibility for the individual needs of trainees, and ensure successful progress through the tracks. The institution has vigorous trainee recruitment programs, with several directed towards underrepresented minority candidates. We will continue to provide training that is tailored to each candidate through symposia, seminars, courses, clinical research centers and collaborative research experiences.