# Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacology Scientists (TIPS)

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2021 · $219,214

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacology Scientists (TIPS) will train predoctoral students to address
critical issues in drug development, by providing them the tools and knowledge to navigate the ever-
changing, interdisciplinary landscape that makes up today’s basic, translational, and clinical research. This
integrated T32 program is designed to create leaders in the broadly defined field of Pharmacological Sciences.
TIPS will provide interdisciplinary training in drug development including screening, computation, medicinal
chemistry, and structural biology relevant to target discovery and validation, and an understanding of
regulatory issues involved in advancing candidate therapeutics to clinical application. Through the participation
of 3 premier and neighboring biomedical research institutions and their graduate schools (University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and Rice University), TIPS will provide
interdisciplinary training, career development activities and industry shadowships that will prepare students to
advance biomedical research through successful careers in academia, government and regulatory agencies,
and industry. Program leadership includes the program director and co-director and a steering committee of
representatives from the participating graduate programs, along with an external advisory committee of diverse
experts. TIPS program requirements and benefits will include co-mentoring from two faculty in a collaborative
research project; specific didactic and elective courses (available to TIPS trainees at all participating schools);
monthly trainee meetings to build a unified cohort; a wide variety of career development activities, and required
training in the responsible conduct of research and rigor and reproducibility. Mentors will include 31 faculty
members at 3 institutions, working in 14 graduate programs, who have training and research expertise in
drug/compound screening, pharmacology, computation, medicinal chemistry, structural biology, systems
biology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular and cellular biology. All participating departments recruit
nationwide, especially for students of diverse backgrounds who are under-represented in the biomedical
sciences, including individuals with disabilities, from disadvantaged backgrounds, and from under-represented
racial and ethnic groups. This provides a large, diverse pool of predoctoral students from a variety of
backgrounds for our 5 requested slots. Students will apply to TIPS after joining a lab near the end of their first
year or during their second year of graduate school, and if selected through a holistic application process, will
receive two years of support. Reappointment to a second year will be contingent on a thorough oral and written
review of trainee research progress and completion of program requirements. TIPS will complement the
degree requirements of a trainee’s home institution, cau...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10088894
- **Project number:** 1T32GM139801-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Carmen W. Dessauer
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $219,214
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10088894

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10088894, Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacology Scientists (TIPS) (1T32GM139801-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10088894. Licensed CC0.

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