# Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2024 · $575,303

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The Pharmacological Sciences Training Program, renamed the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology
(CMP) training program in this new submission, is one of the oldest and largest pharmacology training
programs in the nation. The program provides a specific set of skills and a strong identification with the
field of Pharmacology to students entering through the umbrella Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Program at
UCSD. The training program is associated with one of the premier Departments of Pharmacology, whose
faculty are highly funded, dedicated to graduate education, and trained and experienced mentors. Junior
faculty and those from other UCSD departments and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences complement the list of Pharmacology Department training mentors to provide diverse and
interdisciplinary research opportunities. Students join the CMP Training Program at the beginning of their
second year of graduate work, having taken the first year of required BMS didactic courses and seminars
that cover a broad range of state-of-the-art research areas, and emphasize presentation and
communication skills, quantitative skills, ethics, and rigor and reproducibility. The entire class of first year
BMS students (~30 training grant eligible students) are invited to apply to the CMP training program and
many do so because of the excellent reputation of the program and its faculty. At present there are 38
students in the CMP training program, with 7-8 students entering each year and supported for two years,
corresponding to the requested 15 training grant slots per year. Once in the program, the students become
a highly cohesive group through their interactions in additional CMP-specific classes and interdisciplinary
training experiences. These include an introductory workshop in the Fundamentals of Rigor and
Reproducibility, two courses in Drugs and Disease, computational and/or quantitative courses, a biannual
Careers course, a student organized journal club, attendance and participation in the weekly Research
Discussion presentations, and a yearly retreat focused in large part on the trainees. Through these
activities, the program seeks to build a diverse pool of rigorously trained scientists, with the skills required
for leadership roles in areas of biomedical science where training in the fundamental discipline of
pharmacology impacts basic research, drug discovery, public policy and education. Intended and realized
outcomes, evidenced by those of our extensive pool of alumni, include positions in the pharmaceutical and
biotech industry, in government and regulatory affairs, in public policy and secondary education, in law,
and in biomedical and pharmacology education. Critical and independent thinking that pushes the
boundaries of pharmacological science is emphasized and recognized through a variety of awards to
students and alumni. Importantly, we model inclusiveness through the significant fraction of training faculty
and ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10828270
- **Project number:** 1T32GM153123-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** JOAN HELLER BROWN
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $575,303
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10828270

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10828270, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Training Program (1T32GM153123-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10828270. Licensed CC0.

---

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