Project Summary/Abstract This renewal application builds on the strength of our world class Immunology faculty for scientific training at the interface of innate and adaptive immunity to continue our Immunology training program. We request support each year for five students in our predoctoral training program as well as two postdoctoral trainees. This training program is based in the Department of Immunology at the University of Washington, with Drs. Michael Gale, Jr. and Joan Goverman serving as multi-Principal Investigators and Program Co-Directors. Our training faculty include specialists in immune system development, infectious disease immunology, autoimmunity, allergy, cancer immunology, immunodeficiencies, innate immunity, vaccinology, and immunotherapeutics. Our program features predoctoral student training that combines research, coursework, and scientific learning in a rigorous training program to teach our students critical thinking, scientific approach, effective communication, and science ethics. Our new postdoctoral training program is designed to encompass a focus on research excellence, career exploration, teaching, training in grant writing and ethics, mentoring skills, and leadership. Predoctoral trainees are selected from our own Immunology graduate program, the University of Washington Molecular and Cellular Biology graduate program, and from the Medical Scientist Training Program; postdoctoral trainees will be selected from applicants within the labs of our training faculty. Training takes place at the University of Washington and our partner institutions including the Benaroya Research Institute, the Center for Infectious Disease Research, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Children's Research Institute and the Institute for Systems Biology. Our trainees benefit from the rich, diverse, and interactive Immunology community at the University of Washington and our partner institutions. We provide trainees the opportunity to attend specific national meetings annually, exposure to different career paths, formal evaluation of trainees' scientific presentations and progress by a committee composed of members of our training faculty, and dedicated interactions with selected Immunology seminar speakers. An External Advisory Committee provides ongoing evaluation of the training program.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter