Current Training Grants

Post-baccalaureate

Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP)

Grant Objective: Post-baccalaureate Research Education Programs are funded by the NIH at selected universities across the United States to expand participation in the biomedical research workforce, ensuring it is well-equipped to address and reduce health disparities.

To apply, contact Brad Elwood at prep@musc.edu.

Pre-doctoral

Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Program (NIH/NIGMS)

Co-principal Investigators: Adiviye Ergul, M.D., Ph.D.; Jen Rinker, Ph.D.

Grant Objective: The goals of this program are to encourage participation from groups historically less represented in the biomedical sciences and prepare them for successful careers as research scientists.

Cellular, Biochemical and Molecular Sciences Training Program

Principal Investigator: Paula Traktman, Ph.D.

Grant Objective: The experimental toolkit available to contemporary scientists is extraordinary, permitting rapid experimentation with previously unknown precision and innovation. In essence, however, the principles that underlie scientific inquiry remain unchanged. Our new Ph.D. training program in Cellular, Biochemical and Molecular Sciences seeks to blend these foundational principles with state-of-the-art research and the opportunity to develop a breadth of skills and explore various career options. The grant will support four first-year and four second-year students.

Central to our new training program is the commitment to educating students from a wide range of backgrounds to conduct science in a rigorous, reproducible, creative, and ethical manner. Our curriculum will emphasize the ability to think critically, build and test models and hypotheses, and understand the essential principles of experimental design. Biomedical science is an empirical discipline, and our students must understand the strengths and limitations of contemporary and classical methodologies. The ability to critically analyze data is essential, as is competency with quantitative methods and statistical analysis. We want to ensure that our trainees can work effectively in a range of group settings and are skilled at communicating with different audiences. In addition to coursework and a deep immersion in a research laboratory, our trainees will participate in two (out of four) enrichment tracks focused on Communication, Community Engagement and Advocacy, Education, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

As they pursue their dissertation research, our studies will participate in various career development activities that introduce them to a breadth of future opportunities within and beyond academe. As a result, they will be truly prepared to make important contributions within the changing landscape of contemporary biomedical science.

SCTR TL1 (T32) Predoctoral Clinical & Translational Research Training Program

Principal Investigator: Carol Feghali-Bostwick Ph.D.

Grant Objective: The NIH-funded predoctoral training program is designed to increase the number of well-trained translational researchers who also will assume leadership roles. The program is designed for Ph.D. and dual degree candidates with a strong interest in clinical & translational research careers. The training program will provide early exposure and appropriate training in clinical research methodology, the application of cutting-edge technology to clinical research, and address pipeline issues by stimulating interest from doctoral students in health- and disease-related disciplines. The program combines rigorous research experiences with a complementary didactic curriculum with a team science approach.

Training Program for Medical Scientists (NIH/NIGMS)

Principal Investigator: Nancy K. DeMore, M.D.

Pre and Post-doctoral

Drug Abuse Training Program (NIH/NIDA)

Principal Investigator: Jacqueline McGinty, Ph.D.

Grant Objective: The goals of this training program are to produce well-rounded individuals who are knowledgeable about the basic science and clinical aspects of substance abuse, familiar with treatment strategies, and trained to appreciate and conduct independent research in the area of substance use, abuse and dependence.

Training in Craniofacial & Oral Health Research (T-COHR)

Principal Investigator: Hai Yao, Ph.D.

Grant Objective: The overarching objective of the training program is to train an interdisciplinary cadre of talented investigators for careers in dental, oral, and craniofacial science. Training activities are thematically grouped in four strategic areas of research focus: infection and immunity, oral and systemic health, oral cancer, and regenerative medicine/bioengineering.

Training in Alcohol Treatment Research (NIH/NIAAA)

Principal Investigator: John Woodward, Ph.D.

Grant Objective: The overall goal of this program is to produce scientists knowledgeable in the field of substance abuse to conduct independent substance abuse research. A multidisciplinary mentor-apprenticeship model is used, and training is complemented by seminars on substance abuse, neurosciences, grant writing, statistics, ethics, and exposure to treatment strategies.

Post-doctoral

Integrative Training in Oncogenic Signaling (ITOS) Program (NIH/NCI)

Principal Investigator: Philip Howe, Ph.D.

Grant Objective: MUSC Hollings Cancer Center seeks applications for the NCI-funded Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Training Grant’s (T32) Integrative Training in Oncogenic Signaling (ITOS) Program. The goals of the program are to provide five postdoctoral trainees with proactive mentoring, oversight, and research training in cutting-edge methodology; to develop useful academic and essential career development skills; to foster collaborative, interdisciplinary interactions with faculty and other trainees; and to provide exposure to current cancer research discoveries and how these are being translated into novel approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. The ITOS Program, led by an outstanding cadre of program Faculty, offers distinct experiences and opportunities only afforded to the selected ITOS Fellows.

Health Services Research/Academic Generalist Fellowship Program

Principal Investigator: William T. Basco, M.D.

Grant Objective: The program is designed to prepare physicians, post-doctoral nurses, and pharmacists for productive academic careers as educators and as investigators in Health Services Research.

T32 Program in Pulmonary Focused Foundations in Innovation and Scholarship (PUFFINS)

Grant Objective: The Pulmonary Focused Foundations in Innovation and Scholarship program is designed to ensure that the next generation of investigators have the skillsets needed to improve the healthcare and outcomes for individuals with lung diseases with particular emphasis on lung cancer prevention, screening and implementation, critical care, and rare lung diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis and cystic fibrosis (CF).

Short-term Training Grants

Short-Term Training for Minority Undergraduates (NIH/NHLBI)

Program Director: Amy Bradshaw, Ph.D.

Grant Objective: The primary objective of this program is to provide a short-term (10 weeks) training experience for sixteen talented students in the area of cardiovascular function and disease. This research education opportunity will be provided to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those historically underrepresented in biomedical research. The long-range goal is to increase the number of such students in health professions in cardiovascular biology through interest generated by exposure to a broad spectrum of research activities in this area.