Chemical Physiology Training Program

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Project Summary The goal of this predoctoral “Chemical Physiology Training” program (CPT) is to recruit and train a diverse pool of students to develop the technical and professional skills needed to apply chemical biology tools and methods to whole-animal and human studies in a safe, ethically responsible and rigorous manner. Students in this program will be trained in both chemical biology and in physiology and will learn how and when to build research teams with complementary expertise. Development of the CPT program is facilitated by a number of changes to modernize OHSU's graduate programs' structure and curriculum using evidence-based practices. The overall goals of these changes are to individualize graduate training according to each students scientific and career interests, allow for just-in-time training in technical, operational, and professional skills, and aim towards a time-to-degree appropriate with the future career goals of each graduate. This proposal builds on the success of our Program in Biomedical Sciences (PBMS) and Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP) and takes advantage of the recent growth in Chemical Biology and Physiology across many departments at OHSU. Students will be pulled from both the PMCB and NGP graduate programs. The administrative and mentorship structures for those graduate programs will remain in place, while the new hub structure will facilitate successful cross training of students and post-docs in an interdisciplinary learning community. We are requesting 6 slots from NIGMS, which will be used to fund 3 students in years 2 and 3 of their graduate training. OHSU and the Steinberg endowment for training in Physiology will fund an additional 3 slots/year. Students will complete required coursework for their degree granting program and research rotations in year 1. Students appointed to CPT will be required to select the following PBMS and NGP electives: Chemical Biology Innovators, Principles of Physiology, Drug Discovery & Development (pharmacokinetics), Receptor Pharmacology (pharmacodynamics), and the new course Interface of Chemistry & Physiology. Students will take some of these courses during year 1 and then upon acceptance into CPT they will take the additional courses in year 2. These classes, together with courses addressing quantitative analysis and statistics, rigor and reproducibility, and the responsible conduct of research provide the academic core of the training program. They are supplemented with journal clubs, seminars, and a full array of professional development courses and activities. Students will develop a working knowledge of both chemical biology and physiology and will develop deep expertise in one discipline. Students will receive training and mentoring in research project development, written and verbal communication, and exposure to an array of job opportunities that utilize those skills. The 33 training faculty come from across OHSU, representing multiple departments, institutes, and schools. We aim to grow by attracting and fostering a diverse group of students and faculty, and have implemented several approaches to foster pipeline development and reach out to a diverse group of students.