# Molecular Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2022 · $160,649

## Abstract

This application is for the third competing renewal of our interdisciplinary pre-doctoral training program
on The Molecular Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases (MPID) at the University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus. Twenty-six faculty with affiliations in six departments offer our trainees opportunities to
investigate molecular mechanisms that allow RNA and DNA viruses, Gram-positive and -negative
bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and protozoan parasites to cause morbidity and mortality in
humans worldwide. MPID trainees have access to basic, genomic, computational, translational and
systems biology research. Our training faculty have demonstrated productivity for innovative research in
infectious diseases, illustrated by the fact that their labs receive an average of $750,000 per year in
direct costs. Students are selected for appointment to this training program after they have completed
their required coursework, passed their preliminary and comprehensive examinations, and begun their
dissertation research. Since the initial award in 2002, the MPID program has funded 49 students, 8% of
whom were underrepresented minorities. In the last 5 years, 90% of students affiliated with the MPID
Training Program obtained undergraduate degrees from out-of-state institutions. The laboratories of
training faculty expanded from 28 graduate students per year with an average of 3.4 publications per
student in the previous funding period (2007-2013) to about 35 per year with an average of 4.6
publications per student in the last 4 years. In addition to completing coursework and conducting their
mentored research projects, MPID students participate in and assume lead roles in seminars, journal
clubs, research-in-progress meetings, and MPID mini-symposia and workshops. This comprehensive
training prepares our students to identify important research questions, design well-controlled
experiments incorporating cutting-edge approaches, critically evaluate and present their results, and
understand and apply principles of ethics to their research. The breadth of the research, didactic, and
leadership opportunities prepares MPID students for successful careers in academia, industry, and
government. MPID graduates hold senior positions in industry (67%), faculty positions at academic
institutions (15%), or government (6%). Twenty percent of trainees who have been affiliated with the
MPID Training Program are currently pursuing postdoctoral fellowships in high ranked institutions, and
8% continue their medical education. Our trainees have secured NIH F31, F32, and R01 funding. Given
the importance of training students in the broad field of infectious diseases, the successful record of the
MPID Training Program, and the increased number of trainees and training faculty that our T32 has
supported since it was awarded in 2002, we request support for an additional slot. This represents an
increase of one to the four positions funded during the last 10 years, for fiv...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10441247
- **Project number:** 5T32AI052066-20
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Linda F. Van Dyk
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $160,649
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2002-08-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10441247

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10441247, Molecular Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases (5T32AI052066-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10441247. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*