Project Grant T32GM149386

UNDERSTANDING HEALTH AND DISEASE AT THE BEHAVIORAL-BIOMEDICAL INTERFACE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE INTERFACE OF BEHAVIORAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES IS ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE TODAY. THE OVERARCHING OBJECTIVE OF OUR PROPOSED PREDOCTORAL TRAINING PROGRAM, UNDERSTANDING HEALTH AND DISEASE AT THE BEHAVIORAL-BIOMEDICAL INTERFACE, IS TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIVERSE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE RESEARCHERS TO UTILIZE RIGOROUS BIOMEDICAL METHODOLOGIES AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS THAT STRETCH THE BOUNDARIES OF THEIR THINKING AND RESEARCH TO POSITION THEM TO MAKE TRANSFORMATIVE BREAKTHROUGHS IN ADDRESSING ISSUES OF HEALTH AND DISEASE. THE PROGRAM IS BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF AN EXISTING NIGMS-FUNDED T32 ESTABLISHED IN 2014, ADDING NEW PROGRAMMATIC, EVALUATION, AND CURRICULAR PLANS, WHICH BRING GREATER EVIDENCE-BASED FOCUS ON MENTORSHIP, RIGOROUS AND REPRODUCIBLE RESEARCH, AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES PREDOCTORAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE STUDENTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (PBS) AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA WITH AN INTEGRATED PROGRAM OF COURSEWORK AND LABORATORY EXPERIENCES. THESE INCLUDE: (1) BROAD-BASED TRAINING IN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE INCLUDING RIGOR, TRANSPARENCY, AND REPRODUCIBLE SCIENCE, QUANTITATIVE METHODOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH, AND KEY ISSUES IN HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE; (2) IN-DEPTH TRAINING IN PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND SPECIFIC BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AREAS (INCLUDING CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS, DRIVING HYPOTHESES, AND LABORATORY TECHNIQUES); (3) GUIDANCE AND MENTORING FOR DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INNOVATIVE INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROGRAM THAT SPANS BOTH BEHAVIORAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE; (4) CAREER DEVELOPMENT; AND (5) COHORT BUILDING ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF AN INCLUSIVE AND SUPPORTIVE PEER GROUP. BEHAVIORAL MENTORS ARE FROM PBS; BIOMEDICAL MENTORS ARE FROM THE COLLEGES OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. IN THE CURRENT GRANT, WE HAVE USED THE T32 SUPPORT AND TWO MATCHING SLOTS FROM THE GRADUATE COLLEGE TO RECRUIT OUTSTANDING STUDENTS (INCLUDING ONES FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS) AND TO PROVIDE A CATALYST FOR THE PROGRAM, WHICH HAS MATURED INTO A DYNAMIC SETTING FOR SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGE BETWEEN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE STUDENTS AND BIOMEDICAL MENTORS AND THEIR LABS. SINCE THE START OF THE CURRENT PROGRAM, 51 OUTSTANDING STUDENTS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDING 12 URM STUDENTS, 2 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, AND 5 FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS. (19 HAVE HAD T32 SUPPORT) WE HAVE DEVELOPED SEMINARS AND RETREATS, FEATURING CAREER DEVELOPMENT, SCIENCE COMMUNICATION, MANUSCRIPT AND GRANT WRITING, COHORT-BUILDING, NETWORKING, AND DISCUSSIONS OF CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH AT THE BEHAVIORAL-BIOMEDICAL INTERFACE, WHICH WE WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEW PROGRAM. THE APPLICATION REQUESTS 6 SLOTS/YEAR TO PROVIDE THESE IMPACTFUL TRAINING EXPERIENCES TO OUR TALENTED POOL OF TRAINEES. THE PROGRAM IS HIGHLY RELEVANT TO PUBLIC HEALTH, AS TRAINING AT THE BEHAVIORAL-BIOMEDICAL INTERFACE WILL ENABLE THESE SCIENTISTS TO INNOVATIVELY ADDRESS MECHANISMS INFLUENCING HUMAN HEALTH AND DISEASE.