Research Training in Infectious Diseases

The objective of this program is to train physician-scientists in basic, translational, and clinical biomedical research focusing on infectious diseases. The training program will use the resources of 3 allied institutions, co-located on the east side of Manhattan in New York City: Weill Cornell Medicine will be the primary institution with collaborators at Rockefeller University and Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute. The program’s faculty are well-funded scientists with independent research support who are committed to research and training. They are complemented by 3 international collaborators from Brazil and Haiti. The faculty share the view that the physician-scientist truly is an endangered species and are committed to address this issue by establishing long-term mentoring relationships with postdoctoral trainees. The broad areas of research training are: immunology, malaria, mycobacteriology, virology, and translational/clinical research, including bacterial and fungal infectious diseases of global importance, and HIV/AIDS. Trainees and mentors will develop an individual development plan (IDP) that can include, for example, additional formal courses in the Weill Cornell Graduate School (e.g. immunology, molecular biology) or enrollment in a K30 Master’s in Clinical Investigation program. During the funding period (1999-2024), 58 trainees were appointed and 53 (100%) completed their training (5 continue in the program). Twenty-seven (51%) of 53 who completed the program received NIH K Awards and two are reapplying. Research subject areas included: drug-resistant bacteria, HCV, HIV, KSV-HHV8, malaria, schistosomiasis, and tuberculosis. A total of 70% hold current appointments at academic institutions and 79% currently conduct research. In total, 26 (49%) of T32 trainees completing the program were women, 10 (19%) were racial/ethnic minorities, and 2 were from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program will continue to recruit physicians who have completed their clinical training (medicine, pediatrics, pathology) and are seeking academic investigative careers as physician- scientists. This training grant will provide developing physician-scientists with the opportunity to make the transition from clinical training to research. We request to maintain 5 training slots a year for a training period of 2-3 years.