# Chemistry of Life Processes Predoctoral Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $79,503

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
There is increasing evidence of a mental health crisis in graduate education. This proposal requests
supplemental funding for the Chemistry of Life Processes Predoctoral Training Program, which supports
interdisciplinary training for students from life sciences, chemistry, and engineering graduate programs to create
a sustainable training environment that develops trainee competence and practice of evidence-based
skills, attitudes, and behaviors that foster well-being and resilience.
We will deploy four strategies to achieve this goal: (1) Development of a new program of well-being and resilience
training and activities for NIGMS trainees and mentors; (2) Assessment of the efficacy of proposed well-being
and resilience training on trainees and mentors; (3) Incorporation of wellness and resilience training into existing
biomedical training programs at Northwestern University; and (4) Dissemination of program results and activities
to the broader training community. The foundation of our approach is to integrate wellness and resilience
practices into the fabric of training and mentoring by (a) surveying trainees to determine the current state of their
mental health, well-being and resilience, knowledge of best practices, implementation of wellness and resilience
practices, and their needs and interests in tools, activities, and training to improve wellness and resilience; (b)
using supplement funding to “train-the-trainers” in how to teach resilience skills to students and faculty; (c)
providing free evidence-based skills training through monthly interactive workshops for trainees and mentors;
(d) training, supporting and encouraging adoption of self-care planning as an essential tool for proactively
addressing individual well-being and resilience; (e) facilitating development of peer support groups; and (f)
broadening incorporation of wellness activities into ongoing training activities using online wellness resources
available through the NIH OITE and Postdoc Academy.
A leadership team, consisting of the directors of the four NIGMS-funded T32 predoctoral training programs at
Northwestern, along with personnel in The Graduate School, the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and
Teaching, and the Office for Research, will be responsible for implementation of these strategies, which will be
continuously improved via a combination of formative and summative evaluations. The proposed new training
practices and activities will have a broad impact, including not only the 167 trainees and 114 preceptors in the
participating NIGMS training programs, but also through dissemination to the entire biomedical training
community at Northwestern. These programs and activities will be integrated into existing training activities and
be sustained through the administrative resources of The Graduate School and the Chemistry of Life Processes
Institute.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10393349
- **Project number:** 3T32GM105538-09S1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** NEIL L KELLEHER
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $79,503
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2013-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10393349

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10393349, Chemistry of Life Processes Predoctoral Training Program (3T32GM105538-09S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10393349. Licensed CC0.

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