CTSI T32 Program

Scholars and Jayne Fulkerson posing for a photo

Comprehensive, flexible training for a diverse cohort of postdoctoral and predoctoral trainees who are committed to a substantive and impactful career in translational research and team science.

The mission of the CTSI T32 Program* is to improve human health by catalyzing and accelerating the translation of research findings to the community (i.e., public health and clinical practice) and includes research from diverse disciplines and the full translational spectrum, from preclinical to public health. The CTSI T32 Program seeks applicants conducting translational research and/or translational science.

This two-year training opportunity, funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), integrates a mentored full-time research experience and an individualized curriculum. Unlike other fellowships, the program also includes professional career development activities focused on team-based science and effective collaboration and communication with the larger community.

Scholars completing the program not only produce original research, but come away with the skills to be leaders in their labs, their careers and their fields. Equal emphasis is placed on research and professional and career development.

Applications from students who identify as underrepresented in health-related sciences are strongly encouraged.

* formerly known as the Translational Research and Career Training (TRACT) TL1 program

Program overview

  • 100% time committed to research and research career development.
  • Includes an individualized curriculum; professional development activities; mentorship; a stipend; health insurance; course and registration fees; and research-related supply and travel funds.
  • Requires a primary mentor and interdisciplinary mentor. A near-peer mentor will also be available to interested Scholars.
  • Individuals from underrepresented in medicine groups are encouraged to apply.

Pre-doc scholars: 2022–23

Post-doc scholars: 2022–23

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Former scholars

Former scholars

Rayna Addabbo, PhD

Institute for Molecular Virology
Mentors: Louis Mansky, Joachim Mueller
Project title: Human pathogenic virus detection and replication - studies on SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1

Rebecca Brown, RN

PhD Program, School of Nursing
Mentors: Diane Treat-Jacobson, School of Nursing and Erica Schorr, School of Nursing
Project title: Development of predictive screening tool for patient-reported symptom clusters for artery disease

Gretchen Buchanan

Family Social Science PhD Program, College of Education and Human Development
Mentors: Jerica Berge, Timothy Piehler, Gerald August
Project Title: Optimizing integrated care implementation in primary care settings using latent class analysis

Rebecca Emery, PhD

School of Public Health
Mentors: Susan Mason, Catherine McCarty
Project title: Identifying health disparities in gestational weight management among rural pregnant women

Emily Faherty, MA

Epidemiology PhD Program, School of Public Health
Mentors: Christy Boraas, Eva A. Enns, Sarah Lofgren, Kumi Smith, Meghan Rothenberger
Project title: Cost-effectiveness and clinical implications of Expedited Partner Therapy for the treatment of N. Gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection

Laura Hooper, RD

Nutrition PhD Program, College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences
Mentors: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Marla Eisenberg
Project title: Weight stigma experienced during adolescence and young adulthood: Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations with disordered eating, body mass index, and health risk behaviors

Max Herzberg

Child Psychology PhD Program, College of Education and Human Development
Mentors: Kathleen Thomas, Institute of Child Development, CEHD; Bill Iacono, Department of Psychology, CEHD; and Bryon Mueller, Department of Psychiatry, Medical School
Project title: Resting-state brain networks underlying psychopathology and associations with early life stress

Shannen Kizilski

Mechanical Engineering PhD Program, College of Science and Engineering
Mentors: Victor Boracas, Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering; and Rumi Faizer, Department of Surgery, Medical School
Project title: Developing a capacitive aortic stent-graft for blood pressure management

Michelle Korir, PhD

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School
Mentors: Gary Dunny, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School; and Courtney Aldrich, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy
Project title: Biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance and stress induced alteration of biofilm architecture in Enterococcus faecalis

Jesse Kowalski, DPT

Rehabilitation Science PhD Program, Medical School
Mentors: Leslie Morse, Clas Linnman
Project title: Identification of neuroanatomical biomarkers of outcomes after spinal cord injury with resting state fMRI

Ethan Leng

MSTP Student, Biomedical Engineering PhD Program, College of Science and Engineering
Mentors: Greg Metzger, Department of Radiology, Medical School; and Joe Koopmeiners, Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health
Project title: Computer-aided diagnosis for prostate cancer detection on multiparametric MRI

Kevin Lin, Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) 

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology PhD Program, Computer Science and Engineering
Mentors: Chad Myers, Anja-Katrin Bielinsky
Project title: Targeted Chemical-Genetic Screen Platform for Identifying Novel AML Therapeutics

Warren McKinney, PhD

Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
Mentors: Ajay Israni, Department of Medicine, Medical School; Marilyn Bruin, College of Design, Betram Kasiske, Nephrology, Hennepin Healthcare System; and Andrew Wey, Biostats, Hennepin Healthcare System
Project title: Creating a culturally-sensitive report card for Afican-American kidney transplant candidates

Kathleen Miley

PhD Program, School of Nursing
Mentors: Fang Yu, School of Nursing; and Sophia Vinogradov, Department of Psychiatry, Medical School
Project title: Identification of the neural correlates of social functioning and evaluation of the neuroprotective effects of a novel cognitive training intervention in first episode psychosis

Kellen Mulford

Medical Physics PhD Program, Medical School
Mentors: Pierre Francois Van de Moortele, Donald Nixdorf, Andrew Grande
Project title: MRI-based biomarkers of treatment outcomes in trigeminal neuralgia

Tenzin Namdul, PhD, TMD

School of Public Health
Mentors: Richard MacLehose, Dedra Buchwald
Project title: Factors Associated with Physical and Cognitive Resilience among a Large Tibetan Monastic Community in southern India

Zachary Rivers, PharmD

Social and Administrative Pharmacy PhD Program, College of Pharmacy
Mentors: David Stenehjem, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy; Karen Kuntz, Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Emil Lou, Department of Medicine, Medical School; and Andrew Nelson, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Medical School
Project title: The clinical and economic impact of the implementation of prospective pharmacogenomic testing in the care of patients with cancer

Megan Schmit

MSTP Student, BMBB PhD Program, College of Biological Sciences
Mentors: Anja Bielinsky, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, College of Biological Sciences; and Jeff Miller, Department of Medicine, Medical School
Project title: The role of Mcm10 in NK cell deficiency

Joshua Shirley

Medicinal Chemistry PhD Program, College of Pharmacy
Mentors: Erin Carlson, Department of Chemistry, CSE; Ryan Hunter, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School; and Elizabeth Hirsch, Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy
Project title: Detection of bacterial pathogens and β-lactamases in cystic fibrosis patient samples using chemical probes and flow cytometry as a novel diagnostic technique

Rebekah Summers, DPT, PhD

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical School
Mentors: Colum MacKinnon, Department of Neurology, Medical School; and Noam Harel, Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Medical School
Project title: Alterned neuroplasicity of the motor system with people with ideopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder: a harbinger of Parkinson's Disease?

Dechen Wangmo

Pharmacology PhD Program, Medical School
Mentors: Subree Subramanian, Emil Lou, Tim Starr
Project title: Role of tumor cell intrinsic factors in colorectal cancer immune evasion

Serena Xiong, MPH

Epidemiology PhD Program, School of Public Health
Mentors: DeAnn Lazovich, Rebekah Pratt
Project title: HPV Self-Sampling in Primary Care Clinics in Minnesota: A Pre-Implementation Study

Additional information

The NIH Grants Policy Statement is the final authority on the terms and conditions of stipends. 

Jayne Fulkerson, PhD, professor, School of Nursing, and affiliate professor, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, directs the program, and Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, PhD, professor, Medical School, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division, and vice chair of research, Department of Pediatrics is the program's associate director.

Contact

[email protected]
612-625-2022