Pre-doctoral Training in Systems Toxicology

Inhalation exposures to a large variety of airborne toxicants are an ever-present, rising and ubiquitous public health threat in our environments whether it be outdoor air pollution, industrial processes, or indoor domestic or occupational toxicants. Inhalation exposures are widely associated with adverse health outcomes in major physiological systems such as: pulmonary (asbestosis, black lung, silicosis); cardiovascular (ischemia, infarction); neural (stroke, behavior), immune (inflammation); and endocrine/reproductive (disruption, developmental origins of health and disease). The whole of West Virginia is part of Appalachia, wherein significant health disparities such as cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, depression and addiction are disproportionately high. Further, poor socioeconomic status, and geography (thermal inversions) trap communities in the immediate proximity of mountain-top mining (surface mining) and hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) operations that produce tremendous amounts of industrial air pollution. An immediate demand exists to train the next generation of scientists able to accurately assess the complex interplay among these toxicological risks, and ultimately improve public health in West Virginia and the nation. The Predoctoral Training in Systems Toxicology Program will formalize and standardize our already strong training programs in the biomedical sciences and focus on inhalation toxicology research. Several innovative aspects of this training program are semester-long didactic courses in “Toxicology” and the “Inhalation & Aerosol Sciences”, a unique “Environmental Immersion” in community outreach/engagement via air sampling downwind of mountaintop/surface mines and fracking platforms, the “Paracelsus Society” colloquium and journal club, an Associate Scholars Program and leadership training. This rigorous training program will select the best doctoral students from the participating Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. and Clinical & Translational Sciences Ph.D. training programs at the West Virginia University (WVU) Health Sciences Center (WVU HSC) and Engineering and will prepare them with the skills, knowledge and acumen needed for a successful career in the various field of toxicology. It is projected that up to 40 trainees will be enrolled in this program during the funding period. The specific training for each mentee will be tailored based on their annually updated Individualized Development Plan (IDP), and a “Career Options” Program will help prepare them for their chosen career in the toxicology field. Program training is expected to last 2-to-3 years. This pre-doctoral training program will create a new generation of young scholars who can directly address the need for innovative toxicology research for the citizens of West Virginia, Appalachia, and the nation.