Program Activities

The goal of this T32 application is to integrate the strengths of the training activities in the CBGN and MCBS clusters with a focus on a uniting theme that is the strength of the participating faculty, “Signaling, epigenetics and genome maintenance” and a clear clinical/translational emphasis.

Thought the academic curriculum and the training activities described below our goal is that our students acquire proficiency in eight competencies: (1) Knowledge, (2) clinical/translational appreciation, (3) critical thinking, (4) technical proficiency in methods that enhance reproducibility (MER), (5) RCR (6) communication skills, (7) managerial/mentoring/teaching skills and (8) networking.

See Timelines I and II for activities during year 1 and 2 of the T32 program and continuation to graduation.

1. The academic curriculum for students from the PhD or the MD/PhD program in either cluster includes a combination of courses from these clusters and Molecular, Cellular and Systems Signal Transduction (BMSC 8206).
2. Trainee tailored clinical/translational sessions (Competencies: Knowledge, networking and clinical/translational appreciation). Trainees in the Program will be participating in Multidisciplinary Disease Boards (Tumor, Transplant, etc. boards) and/or Translational Research Disease Groups (TRDGs) thematically tailored to their research projects. The goal of these sessions is for trainees to develop a broad understanding of disease mechanisms and an in-depth understanding of the clinical challenges that are pertinent to their thesis project. These sessions will be specifically developed for the trainee by the steering committee in consultation with the student mentor, the trainee and physician-scientists practicing in the disease area specific to the student’s project.
3. Signaling, epigenetics and genome maintenance “Just in time” data club (Competencies: Knowledge, critical thinking, communication skills, technical proficiency in MER, RCR). T32 trainees, their advisors as well as other members of the mentors’ labs will meet monthly to discuss data presented by two trainees (25 minutes each).
4. Big data bioinformatic workshops (Competencies: Knowledge, bioinformatic data management skills, technical proficiency in MER, RCR). The Fels Institute started a biweekly workshop series in basic bioinformatics and big data management 2 years ago. It is run by Dr. Kumaraswamy Chitrala (bioinformatics core director).
5. Organization of the Hamilton lectureship (Competencies: Managerial skills, networking). In addition to the regular seminar programs described below, we plan to run an annual student-run lectureship. This will be a student-organized seminar supported by the T32 directors.
6. Program Trainee Day (Competencies: Networking, communication skills). Two Trainee days will be organized annually for the students in this program: the Molecular Biology & Genetics Trainee Day and the Dawn Marks Research Day (graduate school-wide training activity described in section c, below). All students within the T32 program (including those having completed the 2 years of support) will be required to attend the MB&G Trainee Day.
7. Training on teaching and teaching opportunities (Competencies: Communication and Managerial/mentoring/teaching). The last three summers we have successfully run a teaching opportunity for our graduate students, who have team-taught a Research Techniques course for our summer undergraduate students. Each graduate student prepares a single 45 min-lecture on a set of molecular and cellular biology or genetics techniques that are very familiar to the student.
8. Preparation of individual predoctoral fellowships (Competencies: Communication and Managerial skills). Students at the beginning of the second year in this T32 program will be required to prepare a pre-doctoral fellowship application as they complete the defense of their thesis proposal aided by their mentor.

Table 1

Table II

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