TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE BIOLOGY OF DISEASE VECTORS

描述（由申请人提供）：认识到需要遏制媒介传播疾病的传播，加州大学戴维斯分校最近批准了一个媒介传播疾病生物学指定重点，其目标是培养人类和动物疾病的媒介传播病毒，细菌和寄生虫病原体及其节肢动物媒介生物学的研究生和研究生研究员。为加强这一新的培训计划，申请拨款，每年资助两名博士预科生和两名博士后学员，为期5年。此外，加州大学戴维斯分校还提供了机构配套资金，以支持另外两名博士生。由格雷戈里·兰扎罗博士指导的多学科培训计划将设在病媒传播疾病中心，并将包括来自兽医医学院和医学院以及农业和环境科学学院的高素质、资金充足的培训教员。博士研修生将从本校昆虫学系、生物化学与分子生物学、比较病理学、流行病学、免疫学、微生物学等6个博士点招收。咨询和招生委员会将根据学习成绩优秀和对病媒传播疾病生物学表现出的兴趣来挑选学员，并特别努力从代表性不足的种族和族裔群体、残疾人和来自弱势背景的个人中招聘学员。将在学员课程中提供微生物学、免疫学、流行病学、遗传学、病原体和节肢动物病媒群体基因组学、病媒生态学和控制、疾病病理学和诊断等教学课程。此外，受训者将参加有关负责任的研究行为的课程，以及由研究办公室和研究生研究办公室提供的一系列关于研究伦理的讲座和嘉宾研讨会。学员将被要求参加与培训项目相关的研究研讨会和讨论小组，并在年度研究静修会上展示他们的研究成果。每位学员的学业进展将由咨询和招生委员会每年审查一次。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recognizing the need to curb the spread of vectorborne diseases, the University of California at Davis has recently approved a Designated Emphasis in the Biology of Vectorborne Diseases, the goal of which is to train graduate and postgraduate fellows in the biology of vectorborne viral, bacterial, and parasitic agents of human and animal diseases and their arthropod vectors. Funds are requested to enhance this new training program by providing support for two pre-doctoral and 2 post-doctoral trainees per year for a 5-year funding period. In addition, UC Davis has provided institutional matching funds to support two additional Ph.D. students. The multidisciplinary training program, which will be directed by Dr. Gregory Lanzaro, will be based in the Center for Vectorborne Diseases, and will involve a highly qualified, well-funded training faculty from the Schools of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The pre-doctoral trainees will be recruited from six affiliated Ph.D. programs, namely the Department of Entomology, and the Graduate Groups in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Comparative Pathology, Epidemiology, Immunology, and Microbiology. Trainees will be selected by an Advisory and Admissions Committee based upon academic excellence and demonstrated interest in the biology of vectorborne diseases, with special recruitment effort from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Didactic courses in microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, genetics, population genomics of pathogens and arthropod vectors, vector ecology and control, disease pathology and diagnosis will be offered in the curriculum for trainees. In addition, trainees will attend courses on responsible conduct of research as well as a series of lecture-discussion and guest-speaker seminars on research ethics offered through the Office of Research and Office of Graduate Studies. Trainees will be required to attend research seminars and discussion groups on topics relevant to the training program and present their research at an annual research retreat. Each trainee's academic progress will be reviewed annually by an Advisory and Admissions Committee. RELEVANCE: Recent Institute of Medicine (lOM) reports, including 2003, 2006, and 2008, all emphasize a deficiency of expertise in vectorborne diseases in U.S.A. Yet, vectorborne diseases remain among the most important human and veterinary health problems, both nationally and internationally. This revised T32 Training Grant application focuses on training pre-doctoral and post-doctoral scholars in the biology of arthropod vectors of human and animal diseases.