# Global Biothreats Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2020 · $167,200

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This is the competing continuation application (Years 16-20) for the Global Biothreats Training Program at the
University of Virginia. Adequate responses to global biothreats require both understanding of the pathogen's
virulence, life-style and spread, but also broader knowledge and awareness of policies, outbreak and threat
surveillance, economics, national security, preparedness, and human rights. The Program is based on the
mentors' shared belief that a multidisciplinary approach is required to train investigators to understand, and
ultimately to treat and prevent global biothreat agents. The cornerstone is side-by-side education of
predoctoral and M.D. postdoctoral fellows. The Program combines the expertise of 23 Mentors from 8 different
departments, all but two within a 5- minute walking distance. All Mentors are extramurally supported through
2018, with $13.6 million total annual direct costs. The average mentor has trained > 10 pre- and/or
postdoctoral students. Select junior mentors are included but are required to have a senior Program faculty as
co-mentor. Training is enriched by state-of-the art BSL-3 and BSL-2 laboratory space, a twice-monthly
“Research in Progress” meetings, graduate courses focused on Biological Threats and Public Health, and
Global Health Policy and Practice, an Annual Research Day, career development activities, an innovative
basic-clinical Journal Club that pairs predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows. Evaluations of the Program an
external advisory committee and annual trainee questionnaire. Funds are requested to train 2 predoctoral
fellows and 1 postdoctoral fellow. The 10-year graduation rate for predoctoral trainees is 82%. First authored
publications at graduation average 2.1 for predocs and 1.8 for postdocs, with high impact papers in Nature,
Science, PLoS Path, Mol Microbiol, MBio, J. Immunol, and PNAS. After 15 years 95% of predocs and 81% of
postdocs that have graduated from the Program remain active in science-related fields, and 68% are engaged
in global biothreats-related activities. Seventeen percent of trainees supported in the last 10 years are
underrepresented minorities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9922204
- **Project number:** 5T32AI055432-18
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** William A Petri
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $167,200
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2003-08-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9922204

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9922204, Global Biothreats Training Program (5T32AI055432-18). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9922204. Licensed CC0.

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