Participants in this program are encouraged to attend weekly bone journal club meetings as well as monthly Bone and Mineral Club lecture series. They are required to present an article once per year and present research at least once during training period as well as encouraged to write and submit a K-Award application by the end of the second year of training. Among the other activities and expectations for participants in this training program are to take G505 “Responsible Conduct of Research” course, attend one professional meeting per year (strongly encouraged to present after one year on T32), and write an annual report for the executive committee to evaluate progress and performance. Participants are also encouraged to audit G819 “Basic Bone Biology” course and attend at least one grant writing workshop that is held annually on campus. After finishing the training program, trainees in this program should submit a post-program assessment to the executive committee to help identify weakness in, and provide suggested improvements for, the training program.
Participant Support
The T32 mechanism provides support for postdoctoral fellows, including tuition for required ethics course and for optional bone biology course. A salary is assigned individually to trainees based on the current NIH postdoctoral scale. Health insurance as well as up to $1000 per year is provided to cover travel costs to a professional/scientific meeting or to visit an external lab for additional training.
Application Requirements and Process
Applications for T32 support of postdoctoral trainees are accepted on a rolling deadline and can be submitted at any time of year. Decisions regarding trainee sponsorship are made by quarterly the T32 Selection Committee.
Per DHHS/NIH guidelines, by the time T32-sponsored training begins, the participant must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status). Postdoctoral trainees must have completed all requirements for, and be in possession of an MD/PhD/PharmD, or DO degree in a biomedical science/engineering field from an accredited domestic or foreign university at the time T32-sponsored training begins. Support for T32-sponsored PhD postdoctoral trainees is limited to two years.