Specialized Graduate Training

Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Clinical and Translational Pre-doctoral Training Program

Providing comprehensive training to future independent investigators who desire to understand ADRD.

young black woman at a computer

Objectives:

  • Prepare students to examine potential risk factors and co-morbidities and how they may be related to ADRD
  • Strengthen skills imperative to independent investigators

The program involves a combination of:

  • Coursework
  • Independent research
  • Professional development
  • Written proposals
  • Continuous mentor feedback

The program provides support to four pre-doctoral students with additional students funded by:

Program Leadership

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), T32 award at the University of Florida is under the direction of the Program Director, Dr. Jada Lewis and Co-Director Dr. Jennifer Bizon as well as Dr. Paramita Chakrabarty, Director In-Training. Academic and administrative aspects of the program are managed by Melissa Naidu, Academic Program Specialist.

Jada Lewis
Department: Department of Neuroscience

Jada Lewis

Professor, Deputy Director McKnight Brain Institute
Jennifer L Bizon
Department: Department of Neuroscience

Jennifer L Bizon Ph.D.

Professor & Chair, Neuroscience; Director, Evelyn F. And William L. McKnight Brain Institute
Paramita Chakrabarty
Department: Department of Neuroscience

Paramita Chakrabarty PhD

Associate Professor
Melissa F Naidu
Department: Department of Neuroscience

Melissa F Naidu MAE

Academic Support Services Manager

Training in Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical & Translational Research

Academics

Overview    Program Administration    Program Leadership     Faculty Mentors

Current Recipients     Application Information     T32 Program Requirements

 

 

Overview

The Clinical and Translational Pre-doctoral Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) provides comprehensive training to future independent investigators who desire to understand ADRD.

Objectives:

  • Prepare students to examine potential risk factors and co-morbidities and how they may be related to ADRD
  • Strengthen skills imperative to independent investigators

The program involves a combination of:

  • Coursework
  • Independent research
  • Professional development
  • Written proposals
  • Continuous mentor feedback

The program provides support to four pre-doctoral students with additional students funded by:

Program Leadership

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), T32 award at the University of Florida is under the direction of the Program Director, Dr. Jada Lewis and Co-Director Dr. Jennifer Bizon.

Dr. Jada Lewis, Director

Biography

Dr. Jennifer Bizon, Co-Director

Biography

Dr. Paramita Chakrabarty, Director In-Training

Faculty Mentors

Find out more about our faculty mentors here.

Current Trainees: (Potential to make each name a link to a biosketch/ CV page)

Priscilla Amofa (Smith)

Cheshire Hardcastle (Woods)

Tristan Williams (Chakrabarty)

Brittany Ulm (Khoshbouei, Lewis)

Drew Gillett (Tansey)

Jessica Kraft (Woods)

Past Trainees

Brittany DeFeis (Smith Lab)

Nicholas Dicola (Mauer, Burke)

Emily Koller (PhD, Chakrabarty and Lewis Labs; currently Postdoctoral Fellow, Joanna, Baylor College of Medicine )

Ariel Walker (Lewis Lab)

Application Information

Find out more about the application requirements and process here.

T32 Program Requirements

In addition to all requirements of their individual graduate programs, individuals accepted into this training program must complete the following courses either before joining or while a member of the program:

GMS 6757 Introduction to ADRD
Grant Writing (GMS 5905 or equivalent)
Statistics & Experimental Design (PHC6050, STA6166 or CLP 6527)
Research Ethics (GMS 7877 or equivalent)
Seminar (GMS 6792 or equivalent)

The core requirements of the program include the following:

1. Research which is co-mentored by one faculty mentor who is actively engaged in ADRD research and one faculty mentor conducting research in one additional area that is relevant to AD (aging, related neurological or psychiatric co-morbidities)

Trainees will select a secondary mentor from training faculty by April of each new cohort to join their official committees

Integration of faculty member outside of ADRD is flexible but could include:

  • complete integration of both co-mentors and trainee into a single dissertation project
  • a secondary research project that takes advantage of the second mentor’s research or clinical strengths
  • technique-based learning or clinical shadowing
  • jointly writing a case history or review article on aging, related neurological or psychiatric co-morbidities and its relevance to ADRD

2. Completion of 8 hours of required coursework as outlined above.

The coursework is intended to add value to the trainee’s experience in the area of ADRD; however, equivalent courses already required by student’s existing graduate requirements will be considered for substitutions. Such requests may be submitted to the T32 Steering Committee for approval.

3. Additional Activities:

  • Introduction to large-scale databases including ADNI, AMP-AD, and M2OVE-AD
  • Mentored attendance at International ADRD conferences and the annual SfN conference
  • Monthly lunches with Dr. Lewis, Dr. Bizon and Dr. Chakrabarty to discuss professional development and career advancement