Immunology Training and Career Development Program

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The UCSF Immunology Training Program (ITP) encompasses 49 laboratories engaged in molecular, cellular, and tissue immunology research and actively training ~215 graduate student and postdoctoral scientists. Of these trainees, 5-6 students per year (3 per cohort) and 2-3 postdocs per year from a range of educational backgrounds will be selected for the ITP’s T32-supported Immunology Leadership Path. Areas of ITP research encompass the full breadth of contemporary immunology including innate immunity; lymphocyte selection and differentiation; cytokine biology; immune cell signaling and migration; mechanisms of autoimmunity, allergy, and inflammatory diseases; tumor immunology; immune cell engineering; and immune defense against infectious agents. The ITP is designed to provide a strong background in genetics, cell biology, tissue biology, and quantitative approaches in biology, as well as deep training in modern immunology. The interdisciplinary nature of this training is enhanced by the tight affiliation of the ITP with the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Program, a graduate program that also includes the study of other aspects of mammalian tissue/organ development, function, and disease. In addition to formal coursework and research training, the ITP includes a weekly immunology seminar series of outside speakers, a student-postdoc-faculty journal club, an annual immunology retreat (held jointly with UC Berkeley immunologists), and courses on advanced immunological topics. Postdoctoral training is additionally enhanced by a research-in-progress series. Students and postdocs receive extensive formal and informal training in methods for enhancing rigor and reproducibility and in the development of skills in evaluating, proposing and communicating research. The program fosters access to experiential training in a breadth of immunology-related career paths. Faculty receive regular training in mentoring practices to promote student and postdoc success. The ITP works in partnership with the UCSF ImmunoX Initiative that uses incentives for collaborative research, state-of-the-art technologies, and a unique data-sharing model to help basic immunologists and clinicians work together toward solutions to immunological diseases. The ITP’s Immunology Leadership Path will provide a select group of ITP students and postdocs with enhanced training in multiple areas, including support for attending meetings, hosting of invited speakers, in-depth feedback on oral and poster presentations, a postdoc secondary mentor program, a near-peer mentor program, a grant writing workshop, a semi-annual meeting that includes alumni presentations, increased teaching opportunities, and greater job search support. Selection for appointment to the Immunology Leadership Path is conducted through an application at the beginning of the 2nd year for students or early after arrival for postdocs, and deep engagement with the T32 program continues throughout their time at UCSF. The enhanced training environment enabled by the T32 will equip a select group of ITP graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with the knowledge and skills to become future leaders in the field of immunology.