Training in Mechanisms of Parasitism

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ABSTRACT The Mechanisms of Parasitism training program has been an ongoing program at the University of Iowa for 24 sequential years. The program unites scientists working on different microbial systems and methods, but addressing similar questions about “Parasitism”, i.e. the pathogenesis of microbial diseases. Our underlying hypothesis is that protozoal, helminthic, bacterial, and viral pathogens face similar obstacles in overcoming mammalian antimicrobial defenses, establishing a niche in which they coexist asymptomatic in their host, or lead to pathologic conditions (i.e., disease). Our premise is that the mechanisms through which one pathogen evades killing within the host provides insights into means through which other pathogens survive in their unique host niche. Most definitely the methods used to investigate host interactions with different hosts overlap. There is a long history of collaborative research and training among many laboratories at the University of Iowa, and specifically particularly between members of this Parasitism program. With this new application, we have expanded our horizons to meet the growing need for collaborative expertise in applying rigorous approaches to the study of host and pathogen genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes, metabolomes, microbiomes, and phageomes, drawing upon analyses of these massive data sets to generate hypotheses that address the common and unique mechanisms through which different microbes establish parasitism. This interdepartmental, interdisciplinary program draws upon faculty members in eight departments and four interdisciplinary programs with homes in four Colleges (Medicine, Public Health, Engineering, Liberal Arts) at the University of Iowa. Our activities are aimed at inspiring and enhancing not only training of our students and postdoctoral scholars, but also enriching the collaborative interactions between faculty members with different areas of expertise. In this submission, we now add faculty with expertise in Metabolomics, Phylogenetics, Bioinformatics, and Epidemiology to the faculty. Our current faculty members already have considerable depth in mechanisms of microbial virulence and host innate and adaptive immune responses. We aim to adopt, and by default, have our trainees adopt a more comprehensive view of the intricate relationships between host, microbe, and environment that contributed to parasitism. Our prior trainees have been highly successful; 100% of those who are done with training have assumed positions in the biomedical sciences or related fields, with 54% holding tenure track university positions and 39% performing research in industry. In this application we propose an enhanced approach to helping trainees develop their careers. We have been successful at recruiting minority candidates and propose means to enhance that even further. Overall, we view this as a comprehensive program to train graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in diverse aspects of parasitism, and to prepare them for productive careers in education, industry scientific policy or biomedical research.