T32 Training Program in Environmental Toxicology

The Training Program in Environmental Toxicology (NIH T32 ES007028) is a long-standing program associated with the Center in Molecular Toxicology at Vanderbilt University and has been funded continuously for over 30 years. This interdisciplinary program supports eight predoctoral and six postdoctoral trainees and emphasizes molecular aspects of toxicology related to environmental health.  The faculty preceptors are drawn from individuals with appointments in Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Medicine, Pathology, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology, all of whom train postdoctoral fellows.  Graduate students in the program obtain degrees through Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Pathology, or Pharmacology.  Considerable emphasis is placed upon research rotations, the thesis research itself, and participation in seminars, journal clubs, and joint research meetings.  There are also numerous opportunities for learning operation and application of instrumental systems in research.

Graduate students are recruited to the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry through departmental mechanisms.  In the other (biomedical) departments, graduate students are initially recruited into either the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program or the Chemical and Physical Biology Program, where they spend the first 9 months in a relatively common core curriculum and do four laboratory rotations.  Graduate students are recruited into Toxicology from these first year pools (the initial year is supported by the institution).  Both predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees are selected by the Core Center’s Steering Committee, with guidelines to ensure distribution of trainees and monitoring of progress.  The list of preceptors includes 23 faculty who are all Center Investigators.  Major research areas of emphasis include Oxidative Damage, DNA Damage and Genetic Instability, Maintenance of Genomic Integrity, Enzymatic Biotransformation and Reactions of Electrophiles, and Neurotoxicity.  Molecular toxicology is recognized as a strong program, and the institution has continued its commitment to making Vanderbilt a leading center for training in this area.