Comparative Medicine and Translational Research Training Program (CMTRTP)
The NIH/NCSU Comparative Medicine and Translational Research Training Program (CMTRTP) was established to provide post-graduate research opportunities for veterinary specialists in well-funded laboratories that will lead to a doctoral degree (Ph.D.). The training program emphasizes translational research and provide experience in multidisciplinary research programs.
Fact Sheet
Eligible applicants will have completed their DVM specialty training either at NCSU or another college of veterinary medicine. They will need to be enrolled in one of the following four Graduate Programs: Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Physiology, Immunology or Functional Genomics. The post-doctoral student will also have to select their major advisor or thesis committee Co-Chair from the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research training faculty (listed below). CMTRTP Traineeships are made possible through funds from NCSU and NIH/NCRR.
Trainees are selected and approved by the CMTRTP Executive Committee for a three-year period based on a letter of intent from the applicant, a complete copy of academic transcripts and GRE scores and three letters of recommendation. Funding for the second and third year is contingent upon satisfactory progress and participation during the preceding year(s) of the fellowship and the availability of funds.
The CMTRTP has the following features:
- Annual Traineeship Stipend: based on NIH post-doctoral pay scale
- Travel Allowance: $1,000 per year
- Tuition and Health Insurance: trainees' in-state portion of tuition, out-of-state tuition remission, and health insurance will be paid for them.
- Coursework: During the first or second year, trainees will participate in a capstone CMTRTP course that emphasizes translational research, animal models of disease and applucation basic discoveries. On the alternate year, the trainee will participate in the CMTRTP Professional Development course which is designed to address topics essential for a successful career as a veterinary researcher. Every spring, students will take a seminar series course consisting of invited intramural and extramural speakers, trainees presenting work in progress, and trainees presenting current journal articles related to animal models and translational research. Trainees will also take CBS 662: Professional Conduct in Biomedical Research or another suitable graduate program ethics course
- Additionally, trainees will participate in an annual research symposium and will meet yearly with the CMTRTP Director and Co-director to discuss progress and programmatic issues.
CMTRTP Training Faculty
The NIH/NCSU Comparative Medicine and Translational Research Training Program (CMTRTP) training faculty were selected based on membership in the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, the theme of their research, proven track record in graduate training, particularly experience in post-DVM PhD training, and their ability to obtain extramural funding. The training faculty represent 9 departments in 4 colleges, spanning a broad range of disciplines. They were brought together as CMTRTP Training Faculty because they embrace the multidisciplinary approach to research and share a focus on applying biomedical research discoveries. As such, students in their training groups will share these principles.
| Name | Rank | Department | Research Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adler, Ken | Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Elucidating pathogenic mechanisms associated with inflammation in the respiratory airways |
| Blikslager, Anthony | Associate Professor | Clinical Sciences | Mechanisms responsible for maintenance and restoration of the intestinal barrier |
| Breen, Matthew | Associate Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Role of the domestic dog as model for cancer research |
| Breitschwerdt, Edward | Professor | Clinical Sciences | Infectious diseases, with an emphasis on diagnostic therapeutic and immunopathologic aspects of zoonotic vector-transmitted bacterial and rickettsial diseases. |
| Brody, Arnold | Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Biochemical and molecular mechanisms that mediate fibroproliferative lung disease caused by inhaling environmental agents |
| Davidian, Marie | Professor | Statistics | Mixed effects models, longitudinal data analysis, covariate measurement error, missing data, and analysis of assay data and calibration |
| Dean, Gregg | Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Immunopathogenesis and prevention of human and feline immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV and FIV) |
| Gibson, Gregory | Professor | Genetics | Molecular architecture of complex traits drawing from evolutionary, developmental and quantitative genetics |
| Gilger, Brian | Professor | Clinical Sciences | Immunopathogenesis and treatment of immune-mediated recurrent uveitis in horses and humans |
| Gookin, Jody | Assistant Professor | Clinical Sciences | Host epithelial cell response to intestinal pathogens |
| Haugh, Jason | Assistant Professor | Chemical Engineering | Intracellular signal transduction processes in mammalian cells, involving the action of growth factors and cytokines |
| Horowitz, Jonathan | Associate Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Mechanisms controlling mammalian cell proliferation and differentiation |
| Jones, Samuel | Associate Professor | Clinical Sciences | Molecular mechanism of neutrophil adhesion and migration; regulation of inflammatory gene expression in LPS-activated leukocytes; role of neutrophils in regulating prostanoid production and epithelial barrier repair |
| Laster, Scott | Professor | Microbiology | Role of lipid mediators in virus-induced inflammation |
| McGahan, M. Christine | Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Regulation of Fe metabolism in the lens, environmental effects on ferritin synthesis and Fe disposition within lens cells, Fe dependent control of redox potential and Iron regulation of glutamate synthesis and secretion |
| Muddiman, David | Professor | Chemistry | Clinical proteomics – development and validation of model organisms to study human disease. |
| Olby, Natasha | Associate Professor | Neurology | Gene discovery in canine neurodegenerative diseases, enhancing recovery from spinal cord injury, and genetic characterization of spontaneous canine brain tumors |
| Piedrahita, Jorge | Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Functional genomic analysis through the development of transgenic animals of use in human and veterinary medicine and understanding the role of imprinted genes in normal and abnormal development |
| Rodriguez-Puebla, Marcelo | Assistant Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Cell cycle regulation, carcinogenesis, tumor cell biology, mouse models |
| Sannes, Philip | Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Epithelial responses to injury and mechanisms of repair in the mammalian lung; the relationships between components of extracellular matrices and soluble growth factors and how they modulate protein and gene expression |
| Sherry, Barbara | Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Acute reovirus-induced myocarditis in a mouse model, using a large panel of myocarditic and nonmyocarditic reovirus strains to identify paramenters of viral infection that determine the disease |
| Smart, Robert | Professor | Toxicology | Understanding the molecular mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis and growth regulation using cellular/molecular and in vivo functional genomic approaches |
| Thrall, Donald | Professor | Molecular Biomedical Sciences | Use of spontaneous tumors in pet dogs and cats as a model to study tumor physiology and novel treatments |
| Tompkins, Mary | Professor | Population Health and Pathobiology | Understanding the immunopathogenesis of feline retrovirus infection |
| Tompkins, Wayne | Professor | Population Health and Pathobiology | Immunopathogenesis of FIV infection in the cat: a model for human HIV infection |
Application Process
A call for applications will be announced each March and September for a fall or spring semester start, respectively. Eligible students will submit three copies of the completed application packet to:
Linda Costine
Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research
College of Veterinary Medicine
North Carolina State University
4700 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27606
Please submit materials by the deadline noted for each competition.
Application packet:
- Application form [available as a Word document];
- Copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts;
- Copy of GRE results;
- Three letters of recommendation;
- A letter of intent from the applicant
Eligibility Requirements
- Student must be enrolled full time (or admitted to) one of the four research doctoral programs (Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Physiology, Immunology or Functional Genomics at North Carolina State University by the beginning date of the fellowship.
- Student must have completed their DVM specialty training at NCSU or another college of veterinary medicine. Student must have an outstanding undergraduate and graduate academic record as evidenced by the cumulative grade point average, as well as excellent scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytic portions of the Graduate Record Examination.
- Student must be a citizen, non-citizen national, or a permanent resident of the United States.
- Student must select as their major advisor or thesis committee Co-Chair, one of the CMTRTP Faculty Members listed above. (This may be done after rotating through 1-3 laboratories).