Predoctoral Training Grant in Pharmacology and Molecular Medicine

University Of Colorado Denver, Aurora CO

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Pharmacology and Molecular Medicine Training Program (PharMM) is currently in its 45th year of NIGMS funding and requests annual support for 8 predoctoral students during the next five years. PharMM distinguishes itself by providing a highly interactive environment in which students obtain a broadly based integrative perspective on science and training in the fundamental knowledge defining pharmacology. The Principal Investigators for the Training Grant are Dr. James Costello, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, and Dr. Mark Dell’Acqua, Vice Chair of the Department of Pharmacology. The Training Program Directors are Dr. Costello and Dr. Jason Aoto, Associate Professor of Pharmacology. Dr. Dell’Acqua is the Chair of the Graduate Training Committee (GTC), which provides the day-to-day oversight for PharMM. The 48 Training Program faculty are drawn from numerous departments across CU Anschutz and have been recruited to provide multidisciplinary training opportunities in neuropharmacology, cell signaling, pharmacogenetics, cancer biology, biomolecular structure, and computational modeling. PharMM faculty are accomplished, committed researchers, and mentors with nearly $900,000 in funding per faculty member. Graduate students are directly admitted to PharMM and recruited from the ‘umbrella’ programs (Biomedical Sciences and Medical Scientist Training Programs). PharMM curriculum includes a comprehensive didactic component, three laboratory rotations, a strong emphasis on student presentations in seminar settings, and a diverse choice of thesis research labs. Career development is well supported by the Graduate School across a range of academic and non-academic career paths. In the last 5 years (2019-2024), PharMM received 148 training grant-eligible applications, with the umbrella programs receiving 1,003 (BSP) and 2,486 (MSTP) applicants. In the past 5 years, 24 training grant-eligible students earned their Ph.D. in PharMM. PharMM has developed and implemented a comprehensive review process to evaluate graduate student applicants, including undergraduate/graduate school grades, research experience and interests, career and research goals, and recommendations from previous mentors and course instructors. Over the past 5 years, the 17 PhD recipients trained by current PharMM faculty have been highly successful – they averaged 2.4 first-author manuscripts and 5.6 total papers, the average time to degree was 5.7 years, ~50% earned individual fellowships, and 100% have a career in science. PharMM currently has 27 TGE (29 total) Ph.D. students. The T32 Training Grant will be critical for PharMM to continue to thrive and meet the national demands for individuals, trained as pharmacologists, who are astute researchers, can be multidisciplinary research team members, and also have the breadth of knowledge to plan and communicate effectively across a spectrum of technologies.