Training in age related neurodegenerative diseases

The goals of the Training Program in Age-related Neurodegenerative Diseases are to mentor and educate young investigators and prepare them for research careers in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, with an emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (ADRD) such as Parkinson’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). These diseases are a significant and expanding public health problem due to the rapidly aging global population. Specifically, an effort has been made to encourage the training and mentoring of physician-scientists in the field of neurodegenerative disease. The program supports 4 predoctoral and 4 postdoctoral trainees per year. The program is based at the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Dental Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Together, these institutions have one of the largest programs on neurodegenerative disease research in the country, with a funded base of >$90 million as determined by federal, pharmaceutical and foundation grants led by the 31 faculty who serve as T32 trainers. Among the many individuals who study neurodegenerative diseases on our campus, a select group of 31mentors are associated with this T32 program. We note that 13/31 (42%) of our trainers are women, 1 identifies as non-binary, and 2/31(6%) are minorities under-represented in science and medicine. In our program, we place specific emphasis on collaborative science and a commitment to training students and postdoctoral fellows: all trainers have published numerous papers with other trainers, 12 of the trainers share jointly funded NIH grants with other trainers, 20 of our trainees have published with 2 or more trainers, there are many joint lab meetings, and our trainers participate in extensive programmatic activities and minority recruitment efforts. Among the four current predoctoral trainees, two (studying cognitive decline and the microbiome; studying VCP mutations in tau-related dementias) work in areas directly related to AD/ADRD. Among current postdoctoral trainees, four (studying how seizure activity affects tau spreading in AD; studying tau biology; studying polygenic risk for AD and other ADRD; studying TDP-43) work in areas directly related to AD/ADRD. This track record demonstrates our commitment to training AD/ADRD investigators.