Staphylococcal biology training program
The Center for Staphylococcal Research (CSR) has developed a multi-disciplinary training environment in which trainees will not only benefit from the available staphylococcal expertise, but also the intimate interactions of two additional well-respected academic foci, clinical microbiology and infectious disease. The goals of the Staphylococcal biology training program (SBTP) are to provide pre-doctoral trainees with the knowledge of the mechanistic basis of staphylococcal gene regulation, metabolism, and disease for both host and bacterial factors; the tools to apply paradigms learned in the study of staphylococcal disease to other bacterial pathogens; dedicated training by infectious disease physicians and clinical microbiologists to gain an understanding of disease processes of other pathogens in addition to applied or translational research in a basic science setting; and the appropriate experience to successfully secure competitive post-doctoral fellowships.
To enhance the students' understanding of pathogenic processes and translational research, a particularly unique aspect of our training proposal is that pre-doctoral students will be trained not only in basic microbiological and immunological sciences, but they will also be exposed to the vast array of other infectious diseases through defined interactions with clinical microbiologists and infectious disease physicians. We propose to use our collective expertise in staphylococcal disease as a paradigm to foster training opportunities and expand students' knowledge base to other pathogens during their studies in clinical microbiology and infectious disease.
In addition, we have developed an International Alliance on Staphylococcus aureus Research and Education program to provide an enhanced educational experience for our graduate students. This program involves an international consortium of microbiology research laboratories that utilizes cutting-edge technologies to study the molecular and genetic determinants important in S. aureus to cause disease. Graduate students participating in this program will gain exposure to expertise in microbiology through two primary mechanisms. First, they will be able to select from a list of world leading S. aureus researchers to serve on their graduate advisory committees, thus, benefiting from a broader range of expertise and experience in the S. aureus field. Second, students will have opportunities to work in participating international labs, gaining hands-on experience with the specific technologies utilized in these labs, in addition to acquiring a different perspective on staphylococcal biology. Participating institutions currently include Sheffield University (UK), the University of Bonn (Germany), the University of Tubingen (Germany) Utrecht University (The Netherlands), and UNMC. Overall, this program offers a graduate research experience that promises to provide a broad, international training perspective that draws from the expertise of leading researchers in the field.
Potential students can enter the SBTP through the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology graduate program (PAMM), the MD/PhD scholars program, or the Biomedical Research Training Program (BRTP). Students within the SBTP are part of the PAMM graduate program. The year-by-year detailed listing of available courses offered through this unique program can be viewed in the left navigational links. The SBTP and the CSR also offer a series of other academic pursuits in conjunction with the above mentioned course work that allow students to participate in career developing activities on and off campus.
Please contact Dr. Paul Fey for further information.