TRAIN@wayne: Translational Research in Addiction and Integrative Neuroscience - Drug addiction is the leading cause of preventable death in the US. As such, this T32 training program, TRAIN@wayne: Translational Research in Addiction and Integrative Neuroscience at Wayne State University (WSU), is designed to equip two pre-doctoral students annually, over a two-year training period, with expertise, tools, and techniques necessary to advance discovery science to accelerate the development of therapeutics to address drug addiction. Training draws from the outstanding preclinical and clinical and research facilities at WSU and expertise of 17 accomplished preceptors across 5 WSU departments in areas including neuroimaging, neuropharmacology/drug administration, neurophysiology, neuromodulation, cellular and molecular neuroscience, and models of common addiction comorbidities including brain injury and traumatic stress. Recruitment of trainees will be emphasized through WSU’s status as a pre-eminent public research university with an extensive history of supporting student education and career development. TRAIN@wayne will emphasize 3 training areas: 1) Translational Addiction Neuroscience Research: Didactic and experiential research training and individualized mentoring will be achieved using a dual-mentor training model, such that each trainee will select one faculty mentor whose research focus is addiction and a second mentor whose research focus is complementary to addiction: either a state-of-the-art research methodology (‘methods’ mentor; e.g., fMRI) or a co-occurring clinical problem/disorder (e.g., PTSD). Emphasizing experiential and problem-based learning, trainees will develop a track-record of productivity including grant applications and published manuscripts, couched in principles of ethical and rigorous addiction research. 2) ‘Real World’ Clinical Observation: Trainees will choose a ‘Clinical Observation and Community Engagement rotation from 5 established clinical rotations and 3 community engagement ‘tracks’ for immersive ‘real world’ exposure to evidence-based treatments for addiction and community engagement. 3) Career Development: Formal training in career development, including scientific and lay communication and professional networking, in addition to a focused career development plan with objective benchmarks for success are included to facilitate acquisition of academic or industry positions. Seminars by nationally/internationally recognized speakers, student-faculty research retreats, opportunities to attend national/international research conferences, and training in the responsible conduct of research, rigorous experimental design and data science will be provided. “Value added” opportunities for T32 fellows include additional funds for research and specialized external training, access to a standing F30/F31 application review committee, an annual NeuroDay symposium, enhanced career networking, an individualized clinical observation and community engagement rotation, and personalized career mentoring. In sum, the mission of TRAIN@wayne is to recruit, educate, and mentor highly-capable predoctoral trainees who will create high impact in the field of addiction neuroscience.
