T35 Grant Funds Summer Research Training for Six UB Med Students

Published July 18, 2012 This content is archived.

Six UB medical students are participating in mentored research projects this summer at UB and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center through a T35 training grant from the National Institutes of Health.

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“The broad goal of this training program is to attract talented and interested trainees into careers in academic medicine. ”
Timothy F. Murphy, MD
Senior associate dean for clinical and translational research

Competitive Process Awards Coveted Fellowships

Following a rigorous review process, a steering committee of faculty and educational leaders at UB and Roswell Park awarded the 10-week fellowships to the following students, each of whom has selected a faculty mentor as indicated:

Fellow: Moyukh Ghosh
Mentor: Sandra Gollnick, PhD

Fellow: Aleksandr Kalininskiy
Mentor: Mark O’Brian, PhD

Fellow: Chinelo Ogbudinkpa
Mentor: Amy Jacobs, PhD

Fellow: Christopher Sciria
Mentor: Thomas Russo, MD

Fellow: Lauren Schmidt
Mentor: Anthony Campagnari, PhD

Fellow: Matthew Stevens
Mentor: Elizabeth Repasky, PhD

Twenty-seven candidates applied for the positions.

 

Grant Aims to Increase Ranks of Physician-Scientists

The NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funds the T35 grant, which was jointly awarded to UB medical school and Roswell Park.

“The grant addresses a growing concern about a decline in the number of physician-scientists being trained in our country,” says Timothy F. Murphy, MD, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research.

Surveys reveal that a mentored research experience during medical school influenced students who choose careers as physician-investigators.

“The broad goal of this training program is to attract talented and interested trainees into careers in academic medicine,” Murphy explains. “We will accomplish this by providing medical students with the opportunity to have a research experience early in their training.”

Students Select Experienced Research Mentors

The grant supports research in infectious diseases, microbiology and immunology.

Students selected their mentors from a pool of 18 UB and Roswell Park faculty members who have active research programs and extensive mentoring experience in these fields.

The program includes:

  • a mentored research project
  • a weekly seminar series
  • a weekly laboratory practical session
  • training in the responsible conduct of research
  • oral presentations by students at the end of the program
  • poster presentations by students at an annual research day

Murphy is the grant’s co-principal investigator along with Kelvin Lee, MD, chair of the Department of Immunology and vice chair of the Department of Medicine at Roswell Park.