Pharmacological Sciences Training Program

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract The mission of the Pharmacological Sciences Training Program (PSTP) is to prepare PhD candidates from multiple disciplines to use Pharmacology in their careers. The objectives of our training program are: (1) to recruit, train, and retain a talented pool of trainees who will contribute to the Duke community; (2) to train students to become ethical and independent scientists with a broad understanding of biomedical disciplines and the ability to critically and independently push forward the boundaries of their areas of study; (3) to provide outstanding mentorship in a supportive lab environment, encouraging rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative approaches, and ethical conduct in Pharmacology research; (4) to teach core principles of Pharmacology, ensuring trainees acquire expertise and the skills to independently advance their chosen fields; (5) to equip students with translatable professional skills, including the ability to communicate scientific findings to a wide audience and to work effectively in teams; (6) to sponsor experiential training across a range of career paths, supporting the transition into varied roles within the biomedical research workforce; (7) to maintain high PhD completion rates and optimize time to degree, ensuring that trainees develop the capability to initiate, conduct, interpret, and present rigorous and reproducible biomedical research with increasing self-direction; (8) to share these goals and provide access to professional development and experiential learning opportunities across the institution, promoting a supportive scientific research environment. The rationale for providing this training is that the discovery and development of new medicines is a vital part of the American economy. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the need for medical scientists, biomedical engineers and data scientists will rise in the next ten years, by 40% for the latter group, for whom we have introduced expanded training in this revised proposal. The key program elements of the PSTP are (1) an interdisciplinary trainee and mentor population recruited from four graduate programs (Pharmacology (PHARM), Molecular Cancer Biology (MCB), Chemistry (CHEM) and Biomedical Engineering (BME)) who are committed to research in pharmacology, (2) a four course core curriculum that teaches the basics of pharmacology, experimental design and statistics, and drug development and a seminar in critical thinking and presentation skills, (3) training in professional development and networking via the Lunchtime Learning Lab (LLL), and (4) experiential training through an optional internship program. Students are appointed to the PSTP in the second year of their training and receive two years of support. The PSTP aims to support 12 trainees. We expect the PSTP trainees to develop the research and professional skills to embark on professional careers in academia, industry, government or their own entrepreneurial enterprises.