Pre- and Postdoctoral Training in Toxicology

This is a competing renewal application for the T32 “Pre and Postdoctoral Training in Toxicology” at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) supporting 8 predoctoral and 3 postdoctoral trainees in the Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine (CiTEM). Our program integrates highly interactive and productive faculty of basic scientists, physician scientists, and public health researchers from the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Pharmacy at UNC-CH, as well as to outstanding investigators and mentors from the U.S. EPA and NIEHS in Research Triangle Park. This unique research environment provides students with cutting-edge training and methodological skills necessary to integrate knowledge in basic biomedical sciences with next-generation technologies to advance environmental health and toxicology in the 21st century. This training program includes 43 investigators with an exceptional track record in varied areas of toxicology and environmental health research. The four core objectives of this training grant are to provide 1) excellent didactic training in toxicology and environmental health, 2) networking and professional development opportunities to support successful research careers, 3) state-of-the-art mentored research opportunities in toxicology and environmental health, and 4) training in science communication and opportunities for community engagement. To maintain this successful training program, we continuously update our training approaches, incorporating feedback from our external advisory committee and other forms of training program evaluation. During the previous funding cycle we expanded efforts in four specific areas: 1) additional training in high-level data generation, management, visualization, and analysis methods, 2) engagement in translational research, science communication, and community outreach, 3) encouraging cross-disciplinary research following the convergence paradigm, and 4) developing thoughtful approaches for recruiting and retaining outstanding trainees. This training grant is led by an experienced team and supported by institutional funds for administration, faculty recruitment, and trainee activities. This training program takes advantage of the resources available through several environmental health focused research centers at UNC-CH, including the Superfund Research Program, the NIEHS-funded Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility, and the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology. Trainees receive specialized training in rigorous research methodology, research ethics, and scientific/grant writing. They also have ample opportunities to present their research to local, national, international, or lay audiences. As outlined in this application, our previous record demonstrates that the outstanding new scientists we train will excel at interdisciplinary approaches that result in the mechanistic understanding and translation of how the environment influences human disease.