Training in Environmental Toxicology

The Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology (JGPT) is an interdepartmental training program in mechanistic toxicology at Rutgers University. Founded in 1981, the JGPT has trained more than 200 doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinician scientists. Graduates of the JGPT have established distinguished careers in academia, industry, and government. The NIEHS T32 training grant is the driving force of the JGPT. This competitive renewal application requests funding for years 36-40 to support 8 predoctoral students and 3 postdoctoral fellows each year. The central mission of the JGPT is to provide talented and motivated predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees with rigorous didactic and laboratory training in contemporary mechanistic toxicology and in-depth expertise in their individual field of research. The program is highly interdisciplinary with students performing research rotations under scientists from varied scientific disciplines. Training is supported by an exceptional research environment centered at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) that includes state-of-the-art instrumentation and collaboration that synergizes with our NIEHS P30 Center of Excellence in Environmental Health Sciences. Rutgers University has designated “Environmental Health Sciences” a Signature Program. This affords our program strong institutional support with significant investment in research, training, and new faculty recruitment. JGPT trainees benefit from an outstanding seminar series and strong participation by leading scientists from the local pharmaceutical, chemical, and personal care products industry. Intensive efforts are expended to attract students and fellows of exceptional quality with prior research experience from broad scientific disciplines. Trainee accomplishments include high research productivity, strong publication and fellowship records, job placement, and honors and awards from professional organizations. The JGPT adapts to advances in the field of toxicology using comprehensive outcomes assessment. RELEVANCE: The unifying goal of the JGPT and this training grant is to prepare trainees to excel in the competitive and rapidly evolving arena of environmental health sciences. Toxicology is a core discipline in understanding the impact of chemicals on human health. For the last 35 years, this training grant has enabled Rutgers to educate scholars who have become leaders in academic, industrial, and governmental toxicology.