Transdisciplinary Predoctoral Training in Health-Integrated Technologies

About This Grant

Michigan Tech’s biomedical research enterprise has seen sustained growth since 2008, when our efforts focused on creating an upward trajectory for biomedical research at our institution. Since then, strategic investments have nearly tripled the number of biomedical researchers on campus, led to the establishment of a rapidly growing Health Research Institute (HRI), and provided millions of dollars of resources for faculty startup, seed funding, and new infrastructure. HRI is the ideal transdisciplinary home for an NIGMS Transdisciplinary T32. The deep expanse of HRI-led research across engineering and the sciences will provide a broad training in working across departmental lines and increase communication between the disciplines. HRI members already heavily collaborate and are well poised to take on the challenge of an NIH T32. The mission of the NIH Transdisciplinary T32 Traineeship in health-integrated technologies is to increase the quality and workforce readiness of graduate trainees at Michigan Tech who have broad understanding of the biomedical sciences and can effectively communicate and integrate their knowledge across disciplines. The training program is designed to achieve the following four objectives: Objective 1: Increase the quality and quantity of pre-doctoral trainees in Integrated Health Technology. Objective 2: Retain pre-doctoral trainees through to graduation. Objective 3: Provide a broad biomedical sciences education that prepares pre-doctoral trainees for future career attainment (major program elements are outlined below). Objective 4: Consolidate and disseminate best practices for recruiting, retaining, and training of pre-doctoral trainees. To that end, the program will test effective, evidence-based biomedical research training practices and apply them to a small, technology-focused university. Results will be disseminated across campus and to other universities. Program design will focus on providing trainees comprehensive technical, operational, and professional training. Specific activities will include in-depth preceptor training, recruitment of cohorts of biomedical predoctoral trainees through proven evidence-based and novel strategies, a comprehensive orientation, and “bootcamp” that includes intentional activities to foster a sense of belonging. Mentoring of trainees will be structured by multiple mentors. Individual development plans will track each trainee to provide the best individualized professional development to enhance non-technical professional skills. Trainees will receive up to two years of funding before being transitioned to other support. The program will lay a foundation for high-quality predoctoral training from a technology-focused biomedical program with a proven track record of workforce development located in a unique rural setting that offers novel perspectives on healthcare and the need for interventions in health-outcomes.