# Summer Training in Translational Biomedical Research

> **NIH NIH T35** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 2021 · $67,581

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The goal of this Summer Research Training Program is to identify and facilitate the career progression
of veterinary students who have the ability and motivation to become a veterinarian scientist. The
veterinary perspective has high value in biomedical research and there is a relative shortage of
veterinarian scientists. Stimulating greater interest in research careers among veterinary students is
key to filling these needs. It is also critically important to ensure that students who are already
determined to pursue a veterinarian-scientist career have experiences that promote their goals. Short-
term research training programs, such as the one described in this proposal, are one means of
accomplishing these objectives. The focus of this training program is translational biomedical research,
broadly encompassing the research areas of infectious diseases, reproductive biology, epidemiology,
neuroscience, oncology, toxicology, nutrition, and behavior. The program faculty includes 40 mentors
from 12 different academic departments in 4 colleges. The program is 10 weeks in length and is open
to veterinary students who have completed either one or two years in the professional curriculum. Ten
trainee positions are available each program year. Trainees are matched with a faculty mentor who
shares similar research interests. In collaboration with the faculty mentor, trainees formulate a testable
hypothesis, design the experiments, collect and analyze the experimental data, and report the
conclusions. Reporting of results includes authoring an abstract that is submitted to a national meeting,
preparing a poster presentation of the work, and writing a short manuscript formatted for a scientific
journal appropriate for publishing the results. Extensive instruction in the Responsible Conduct of
Research is provided through orientation week activities and a seminar series. The seminar series also
features presentations that highlight career opportunities available to veterinarian scientists, as does a
field trip to companies that hire veterinarian scientists. Scientific writing sessions are provided to assist
trainees with preparation of the abstract, poster, and manuscript. At the conclusion of the program,
trainees present their work at an in-house poster session and at the National Veterinary Scholars
Symposium. Follow-up engagement over the course of the student’s DVM training and beyond provides
support and mentoring to continue to develop research experience and the potential to pursue a
veterinarian-scientist career.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10222803
- **Project number:** 5T35OD011145-17
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **Principal Investigator:** Jodi A. Flaws
- **Activity code:** T35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $67,581
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2005-09-25 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10222803

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10222803, Summer Training in Translational Biomedical Research (5T35OD011145-17). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10222803. Licensed CC0.

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