Training Program in Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences

Harvard University D/B/A Harvard School Of Public Health, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

  We seek the renewal of a long-standing, NHLBI-supported training T32 Program now titled Mechanisms of Environmental Lung Diseases (MELD). The mission of the MELD training program is to train the next generation of innovative researchers and leaders, and to advance mechanistic understanding, prevention, and treatment of environmentally induced lung diseases. From the outset, our faculty and trainees have been united by the recognition that environment factors—the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the homes and neighborhoods we live and work in (otherwise known as the “sociome”)—can induce and exacerbate lung diseases, which remain among the most significant contributors to the global disease burden in public health. The need for this program has grown significantly as environmentally induced lung diseases continue to pose a major global health challenge. We request funding to support four predoctoral and six postdoctoral trainees over the next five years (2026–2031). Our training program has been highly effective, as evidenced by its 15-year metrics: In the last 15 years (2010–2024), this T32 has supported 71 trainees in total: 24 predoctoral and 47 postdoctoral trainees. Among them, 53 have completed training and 18 are still in training. Of those who have completed training, 51 (96%) are currently in careers that are primarily or related to biomedical science research or medicine. Of these graduates, 5 predoctoral and 18 postdoctoral trainees have received research grant funding, including a total of 45 federal and 5 non-federal grants. Sustaining such a robust and successful program requires ongoing self-evaluation, strategic adaptation, and thoughtful planning. In the renewal, we have added 19 new faculty preceptors who bring new subject areas and expertise to the program. Our program’s success continues to be rooted in several key objectives: 1) Attract and recruit exceptional predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees focused on biomedical research, 2) Maintain and renew outstanding faculty with a strong track record of impactful research and a commitment to mentorship, 3) Provide comprehensive and rigorous training in laboratory and clinical research methods, along with skills in scientific communication, writing, and grant development, 4) Utilize three multidisciplinary pillars—exposure science, biological science, and data science—to advance understanding, prevention, and treatment of environmental lung diseases, 5) Foster a community to enhance clinical and translational research expertise, 6) Uphold high research integrity and safety standards for conducting research safely, ethically, and responsibly, 7) Implement structured mentorship and career planning frameworks to facilitate personalized career development for each trainee, and 8) Continuously add value by offering innovative training techniques in response to the evolving scientific landscape in environmental lung diseases.