Molecular Mycology and Pathogenesis Training Program

摘要 培养科学家进行真菌研究的需求比以往任何时候都要大。全球人类 真菌疾病包括超过10亿患有侵袭性、过敏性或慢性真菌疾病的人。植物病害， 据估计，主要由真菌引起的全球粮食减产将使全球粮食产量减少20- 40%。这些惊人的统计数据 展示了真菌疾病造成的巨大的人力和财力损失。我们的目标是发展 分子真菌学科学家在实验室，转化或临床研究的最新方法，谁 完全准备追求独立的研究事业调查真菌疾病的许多方面。 三机构分子真菌学和发病机制培训计划（Tri-I MMPTP）已获得资助， 自2003年以来，招募，支持和培养有前途的博士后科学家和医生，以发展生产力 研究生涯。它是现存的唯一一个以真菌学为重点的博士后培训计划， 在培养下一代优秀科学家方面取得了巨大成功。这种巨大的生产力 培训计划是基于其独特的设计，利用三个突出的研究接近 大学：杜克大学、北卡罗来纳州查佩尔山大学和北卡罗来纳州州立大学 大学这些机构提供了可以说是最高的地理集中的研究人员谁研究 真菌在国内三I MMPTP已经培训或正在培训总共43名博士后研究员， 他们中的许多人已经领导了独立的NIH资助的实验室，领导了政府的研究工作， 在工业界从事尖端项目，并在学术界、政府和 行业在许多机构，研究医学真菌的教师很少与遗传学家接触， 研究模型真菌的生物化学家，研究细胞机制的生物化学家，或关心传染病的医生 免疫力低下的病人。同样，那些研究植物病原体的人在智力上， 从生物医学研究者身上移除一个经过验证的概念，我们的多学科互动 临床和基础研究人员，植物和动物真菌学家，共同发现新的方法， 是互利的。通过这种综合设计，我们的学员变得知识渊博， 多才多艺，对未来的雇主更具吸引力。几个突出的培训主题负责 我们持续的成功：从大量有竞争力的申请人中精心挑选，促进多样性 （包括目前7名来自任职人数不足背景的受训人员中的3名）， 并授予写作。这些机会都是通过实习生个人研究咨询连接 委员会。核心是我们专注的导师制，包括通往独立心态的途径和 在计划完成后正式持续三年的指导计划。我们相互关联的 15年来，我们的战略培养了非常成功的科学家，我们通过以下途径不断更新计划： 学员和导师的反馈已经开发出令人兴奋的方法来满足对分子真菌学家的需求。

ABSTRACT The need to train scientists to conduct fungal research is greater than ever. Worldwide estimates of human fungal disease include over a billion people with invasive, allergic, or chronic fungal diseases. Plant diseases, caused predominantly by fungi, are estimated to reduce global food yields by 20-40%. These striking statistics showcase the immense human and financial tolls imparted by fungal diseases. Our objective is to develop molecular mycology scientists trained in the latest methods of laboratory, translational, or clinical research who are fully prepared to pursue independent research careers investigating the many aspects of fungal diseases. The Tri-Institutional Molecular Mycology and Pathogenesis Training Program (Tri-I MMPTP) has been funded since 2003 to recruit, support, and train promising postdoctoral scientists and physicians to develop productive research careers. It is the only mycology-focused postdoctoral training program in existence, and it has been highly successful in training the next generation of outstanding scientists. The tremendous productivity of this training program is predicated on its unique design, leveraging the proximity of three prominent research universities: Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. These institutions offer arguably the highest geographic concentration of researchers who study fungi in the country. The Tri-I MMPTP has trained or is currently training a total of 43 post-doctoral fellows, many of whom have gone on to lead independent NIH-funded laboratories, lead government research efforts, work in industry on cutting-edge projects, and assume positions of leadership in academia, government, and industry. At many institutions, faculty who investigate medical fungi have little contact with geneticists who work on model fungi, biochemists who study cellular mechanisms, or infectious diseases physicians who care for immunocompromised patients. Similarly, those who study phytopathogens are intellectually, and often physically, removed from biomedical researchers. A proven concept underlying our multidisciplinary interaction is that clinical and basic researchers, and plant and animal mycologists, together discover new approaches that are mutually beneficial. With this integrated design, our trainees become broadly knowledgeable, versatile, and more attractive to prospective employers. Several outstanding training themes are responsible for our continued success: careful selection from a large pool of competitive applicants, promotion of diversity (including 3 of 7 current trainees from under-represented backgrounds), and centralized courses on scientific and grant writing. These opportunities are all connected through trainee Individual Research Advisory Committees. At the core is our dedicated mentorship, including a pathway to independence mentality and a formalized continued mentorship program for three years after program completion. Our interconnected strategy has generated highly successful scientists for 15 years, and our constant programmatic updates via trainee and mentor feedback have developed exciting approaches to fill the need for molecular mycologists.