T Team- NIH Training Programs

The University of Florida partners with the National Institutes of Health to provide training opportunities for the next generation of scientists. As of April 2021, this partnership directly supports the training of 86 PhD students, 37 postdoctoral trainees, 20 medical students on short-term research rotations, and 7 undergraduates interested in health science research. Indirectly, it would be difficult to capture the intricate and profound impact of these programs on the overall training and research environment within the Health Science Center, as each program designs its resources to be available to all trainees in its research sphere.

MEET THE T TEAM!

The University of Florida and the National Institutes of Health jointly sponsor 24 training programs at the University of Florida's Health Science Center.

Students and pipettes

Not sure where to start? Have questions? Need to update information on the page? Email Audrey Natwick a.dickinson@ufl.edu or call (352) 294-8332 .

T32 Administration Resources

NIH training programs require lots of behind-the-scenes staff coordination. The T Team of training grant administrators is ready and willing to answer your questions 🙂

Explore our NIH Training Grant Programs for PhD and Postdoctoral Trainees

T32 AI007110

Basic Microbiology and Infectious Disease

Led by Dr. Stephanie Karst, the BMID T32 supports 6 PhD students, each for 2 years, while they explore the molecular mechanisms of infectious disease. Now in its 38th year, this T32 is one of UF’s oldest and has supported the training of hundreds of students.

T32 HL134621

Breathing Research and Therapeutics (BREATHE)

Established by Dr. Gordon Mitchell in 2017, the BREATHE T32 supports 3 PhD and 3 Postdoctoral trainees in respiratory research. Trainees have clinical and research mentors, and focus their studies around respiratory neural and muscle plasticity for those patients suffering compromised breathing capacity, stability and airway defense.

T90/R90 DE021990

Comprehensive Training Program in Oral Biology

The T90/R90 training program, helmed by Dr. Jose Lemos, supports 8 PhD, 5 Postdoctoral, and 1 international Postdoctoral trainee. It is the largest NIH-supported training program at UF. Trainees explore a multitude of scientific avenues ranging from virology, salivary gland biology, autoimmunity, computational biology, and cancers of the head and neck, to name but a few.

T32 DK108736

Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Type 1 Diabetes and Biomedical Engineering

Drs Mark Atkinson and Benjamin Keselowsky designed the T1D T32 to advance the production of innovative therapeutics for T1D care. By blending medical knowledge and engineering technology, they also hope to produce trainees capable of finding means to prevent/reverse the disease. The T1D T32 supports 4 PhD trainees, each for 2 years (unless they win an F award, as many do!).

T32 HL160491

Interdisciplinary Training for Vascular Surgeon Scientists

One of UF’s newest training programs, led by Drs Gilbert Upchurch and Scott Berceli, provides a rich research training environment for 4 Surgical Residents. The goal of the program is to train future academic surgical faculty poised to develop cures and prevention strategies for vascular diseases.

T32 NS082168

Interdisciplinary Training in Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration

Drs Dawn Bowers and David Vaillancourt are training the next generation of investigators to address the impacts of Parkinson’s Disease, dystonia, and ataxia. Their T32 harnesses new technology like AI along with UF’s established research and clinical settings to offer each of 6 PhD trainees an unparalleled window into the etiology and treatment of these conditions.

T32 GM008721

Molecular Biology in Burns and Trauma

The MBBT T32, led by Dr. Philip Efron, trains 4 surgical residents in the science of inflammation & immunity. Each fellow will spend 2-4 years in clinical research settings, where they will focus on trauma, sepsis syndromes, delayed wound healing and burn wounds.

T32 DK074367

Regenerative Medicine Training Grant

Dr. Edward Scott designed this T32 around meeting a critical need for researchers who specialize in stem cell medicine. It supports 4 PhD and 2 Postdoctoral trainees. Alumni are about evenly split between academic and industry careers.

T32 EY007132

Research Training in Vision Science

The 4 PhD trainees supported by this T32, under the leadership of Dr. W. Clay Smith, research current issues in clinical ophthalmology. These studies are enhanced by their exposure to molecular and cellular biology, genetics, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, and machine learning.

T32CA257923

Team-Based Interdisciplinary Cancer Research Training Program

Dr. Dietmar Siemann leads UF’s other Team-Based T; like the TL1, it typifies a growing trend among academic institutions to center team-based research skills during a person’s formal education; these skills are in high demand in both industry and academic career settings. This T32 supports 3 PhD and 3 Postdoctoral trainees, all involved in aspects of cancer research.

TL1 TR001428

Together: Transforming and Translating Discovery to Improve Health

Part of UF CTSI’s larger CTSA grant, this TL1 program is unique in that two trainees, each from a different College, unite parts of their dissertation research to leverage each other’s scientific know-how. This approach has produced novel research and patents, in addition to equipping its 10 PhD trainees with priceless team-work and professional skills.

T32 DC015994

Training Program in Chemosensory Science

The Chemosensory T32 was awarded to Dr. Steven Munger in 2018. It supports 4 predoctoral trainees focused on the study of the chemical senses. Trainees focus on the myriad ways in which smell and taste influence behavior, and are uniquely positioned for careers in academia and/or industry.

T32 AG062728

Translational Research Training on Aging and Mobility (TRAM)

Awarded to Dr. Todd Manini in 2020, this relatively young T32 addresses the multi-factorial causes and consequences of age-related changes in mobility. 4 Postdoctoral trainees learn to design multi-modal interventions to prevent and rehabilitate mobility impairments in older adults.

NIH Training Programs for Undergraduates

T34 GM145447

MARC at the University of Florida

This program seeks to recruit under-represented trainees from UF’s undergraduate population into biomedical and biobehavioral graduate programs. By so doing, they hope to enrich these programs with a wider variety of backgrounds and viewpoints, all aimed at improving scientific innovation.