Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
PROJECT SUMMARY The UTMB Environmental Toxicology T32 Training Grant has been in existence since 1991. In the 31 years of its existence, training has been provided to 103 predoctoral fellows and 37 postdoctoral fellows, including 9 physician-scientists. The 140 trainees who have completed their training typically have professional positions in basic and applied research, biotechnology, government, teaching, risk assessment and/or practical problems of environmental pollutant regulation and policy. Since 1991, 12 have academic faculty appointments or positions as academic research scientists and 36 have obtained individual NIH or other fellowships, including 18 from NIEHS. We have had significant inclusion and participation of typically 20-40% under-represented minorities and women as T32-supported trainees, annually, since 2009. Accordingly, we are requesting an administrative bridge supplement for continuing support of our five predoctoral fellows, currently pursuing their training in our program to become independent and competitive scientists. Key elements in our unique climate for training are a multiplicity of environmental-health relevant research centers and institutes: 1) the Sealy Center for Environmental Health and Medicine (SCEHM), and other UTMB Sealy Centers, 2) the Institute for Translational Science (ITS) with its recently renewed (2021) NIH Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA), 3) the collaborative NIEHS-supported Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH) between Baylor College of Medicine, UT Houston, and UTMB (funded 2019), and 4) the new NIH-funded OneHealth environmental health initiative at UTMB. We offer training in 4 general thematic areas where we have experienced faculty, exemplary institutional support, and superb resources for state-of-the-art environmental and translational research: 1) airway inflammation/obstruction pathogenesis, 2) intracellular regulation and signaling, 3) DNA damage and repair, and 4) organ pathophysiology, all with a unifying theme of oxidant injury. Over the past 3-5 years, we have developed 6 new areas of targeted research emphases: 1) NIH CounterACT/Chemical Countermeasures Research Program, 2) drug discovery & development, 3) biomedical imaging & bioengineering, 4) neurological & developmental toxicology, 5) OneHealth environmental exposure & disease mitigation, and 6) innovation & entrepreneurship. Our didactic graduate curriculum builds from an interdisciplinary common first year, toward advanced courses in molecular toxicology, pathology, proteomics/bioinformatics, and specialized topic short courses. Identity and community within our training program is established with structured activities such as specialized toxicology courses, journal club, and regional and national toxicology meeting attendance. Professional development in teaching, communication, mentoring, and academic responsibility is fostered by participation in our courses in which the trainees experience teaching of basic and applied toxicology principles, our BENCH high school mentoring program, and our Near-Peer Mentoring Initiative, in conjunction with the Individual Development Plan (IDP).
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
