Postdoc Training in Emerg and Reemerg ID

The training program in emerging and reemerging infectious diseases supports postdoctoral trainees and prepares them for clinical, epidemiologic, applied or basic careers in the field. Training is provided by 25 Program Faculty and 20 Associate Program Faculty, encompassing multidisciplinary approaches and the resources of several departments including Internal Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, Pediatrics, and Pathology, as well as the WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD) and the Sealy Center for Structural Biology. UTMB also hosts the World Reference Center for Arboviruses. The university has made a major commitment to research and training in the field by recruitment of senior, established faculty to facilitate research and training in the field. Very few medical schools in the United States can now claim to have a faculty as large, as diverse but collaborative in multidisciplinary studies, and of such excellence in the area of emerging infectious diseases.

The program offers training in two tracks: (1) basic investigation; and (2) clinical investigation. In the second tract, the trainee is encouraged to obtain an M.S. degree through the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health. The major objective of the training program is to foster development of basic or clinical research skills along with a collaborative approach to enable trainees to become independent investigators in the field of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Research is conducted in all of the relevant pathogen-related disciplines, in pathogenetic mechanisms, and in vector biology. A strong feature of the proposed training program is the extensive availability of international field research experience. Training is thus available from state-of-the-art laboratories at UTMB to the most effective current techniques for research in the field. The trainees will be thoroughly oriented regarding contemporary problems in the relevant disciplines and will be provided with outstanding research opportunities. Most importantly, they will be prepared to embark on careers characterized by continual self improvement and utilization of future opportunities for collaboration and cross-disciplinary problem solving.

This NIH/NIAID-funded program provides support for research training only. Research training can be combined with clinical training in infectious diseases for individuals with MD's and prior residency training in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics. Clinical training is supported by other fund sources. Individuals desiring clinical as well as research training are eligible for research training support under this program. For information regarding combined clinical and research training in infectious diseases visit our sites at:

Individuals desiring research training in this area, but ineligible for NIH support, should consider applying for training under the James W. McLaughlin Fellowship Fund program. (Please note that the deadline for the James W. McLaughlin Fellowship Fund is April 1 of each year.)

EMERGING AND REEMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES PROGRAM FACULTY
NAME, Primary (Secondary) Appointment(s)	RESEARCH INTERESTS	ROLE IN PROGRAM E-mail Addresses
PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTORS
Norbert J. Roberts, Jr., MD Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases (Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Tropical Diseases)	Pathogenesis of influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and HIV infection; antiviral immunity, immunogenetics and immunoregulation	Director, Program Faculty nroberts@utmb.edu
Stanley M. Lemon, MD Microbiology and Immunology (Internal Medicine, Center for Tropical Diseases)	Molecular virology and pathogenesis of positive-strand RNA hepatitis viruses, mechanisms of cap-independent viral translation	Assoc. Director, Program Faculty smlemon@utmb.edu
Robert E. Shope, MD Pathology (Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Tropical Diseases)	Epidemiology of arboviruses and rodent-borne viruses	Assoc. Director, Program Faculty rshope@utmb.edu
PROGRAM FACULTY
Judith F. Aronson, MD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Pathogenesis of arenavirus hemorrhagic fevers	Program Faculty jaronson@utmb.edu
Alan D.T. Barrett, PhD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Flaviviruses, molecular determinants of virus pathogenicity, vaccine development	Program Faculty abarrett@utmb.edu
Tasnee Chonmaitree, MD Pediatrics/Infectious Diseases	Viral otitis media, respiratory viral infections, and inflammatory mediators	Program Faculty tchonmai@utmb.edu
Miles W. Cloyd, PhD Microbiology and Immunology (Pathology; Center for Tropical Diseases)	HIV pathogenesis, genetics of resistance to retroviruses, molecular events in HIV latency	Program Faculty mcloyd@utmb.edu
Barbara L. Doughty, PhD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Host-parasite interactions, Immunopathogenesis of granulomatous inflammation in schistosomiasis; Immunoregulation of egg-specific host responses	Program Faculty bdoughty@utmb.edu
Peter Ernst, DVM, PhD Pediatrics (Sealy Center for Molecular Sciences)	Infection-related gastrointestinal inflammation, Helicobacter pylori, Salmonella	Program Faculty pernst@utmb.edu
Charles F. Fulhorst, DVM, MPH, DrPH Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Ecology and pathogenesis of arthropod-borne and rodent-associated viruses	Program Faculty cfulhors@utmb.edu
Roberto P. Garofalo, MD Pediatrics	Cellular and molecular mechanisms of respiratory syncytial virus infection; Pathogenesis of virus- induced asthma/allergic sensitization.	Program Faculty rpgarofa@utmb.edu
Clifford W. Houston, PhD Microbiology and Immunology	Pathogenesis of Gram negative infections, molecular mechanisms of enterotoxin effects and roles in pathogenesis	Program Faculty chouston@utmb.edu
Gary R. Klimpel, PhD Microbiology and Immunology	Cell-mediated immunity in defense against enteric bacterial infections, cellular immune responses to hepatitis C virus	Program Faculty gklimpel@utmb.edu
Gregory C. Lanzaro, PhD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Population genetics of insect vectors of tropical diseases	Program Faculty glanzaro@utmb.edu
David W. Niesel, PhD Microbiology and Immunology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Genetic and molecular basis of virulence of Gram negative enteric pathogens, recombinant vaccine development in Salmonella	Program Faculty dniesel@utmb.edu
William A. O'Brien, MS, MD Internal Medicine/ Infectious Diseases (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Molecular pathogenesis of HIV infection, molecular monitoring for clinical trials	Program Faculty wobrien@utmb.edu
Janak Patel, MD Pediatrics/Infectious Diseases	Respiratory viral infections, HIV infection	Program Faculty jpatel@utmb.edu
Johnny W. Peterson, PhD Microbiology and Immunology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Pathogenesis of bacterial diseases and immunologic intervention	Program Faculty jpeterso@utmb.edu
Victor Reyes, PhD Pediatrics	Development of immune responses to infectious agents, epithelium-microorganism interaction, Helicobacter pylori	Program Faculty vreyes@utmb.edu
Chiaho Shih, PhD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Molecular biology and immunopathology of human hepatitis viruses; Mechanisms of persistence and oncogenesis of hepatitis B and C viruses	Program Faculty cshih@utmb.edu
Lynn Soong, MD, PhD Microbiology and Immunology (Pathology, Center for Tropical Diseases)	Immunological mechanisms in New World leishmaniasis, vaccine development	Program Faculty lysoong@utmb.edu
Robert B. Tesh, MD, MS Pathology (Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Tropical Diseases)	Epidemiology of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases	Program Faculty rtesh@utmb.edu
Joseph M. Vinetz, MD Pathology (Infectious Diseases/Internal Medicine, Center for Tropical Diseases)	Malaria molecular biology and immunology, leptospirosis epidemiology, pathogenesis and diagnostics	Program Faculty jovinetz@utmb.edu
David H. Walker, MD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Immunity and pathogenesis of rickettsial and ehrlicheal infections	Program Faculty dwalker@utmb.edu
Dennis M. Walling, MD Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis of Epstein-Barr virus infections	Program Faculty dwalling@utmb.edu
Scott C. Weaver, PhD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Ecology, evolution and pathogenesis of arthropod-borne viral diseases, and molecular mechanisms of virus-vector interactions	Program Faculty sweaver@utmb.edu
ASSOCIATE PROGRAM FACULTY
Thomas Albrecht, PhD Microbiology and Immunology	Molecular and cellular pathogenesis of human cytomegalovirus	Assoc. Program Faculty talbrech@utmb.edu
Chester R. Cooper, Jr., PhD Pathology (Dermatology, Center for Tropical Diseases)	Molecular medical mycology, molecular mechanisms of morphogenesis	Assoc. Program Faculty crcooper@utmb.edu
Robert O. Fox, PhD Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics (Sealy Center for Structural Biology)	X-ray crystallography	Assoc. Program Faculty rofox@utmb.edu
Daniel H. Freeman, Jr., PhD Preventive Medicine and Community Health	Biostatistics, Clinical research design	Assoc. Program Faculty dfreeman@utmb.edu
Jean L. Freeman, PhD Preventive Medicine and Community Health	Epidemiology, Health services research	Assoc. Program Faculty jfreeman@utmb.edu
Randall Goldblum, MD Pediatrics	Genetic, developmental and metabolic aspects of mucosal immunity	Assoc. Program Faculty rmgoldbl@utmb.edu
David G. Gorenstein, PhD Cellular Physiology and Biophysics (Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics, Sealy Center for Structural Biology, Centenial Center in Toxicology, Biomedical Engineering)	Structural biology and NMR spectroscopy of proteins and nucleic acids; Biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, computational biochemistry, enzymology and drug design	Assoc. Program Faculty david@nmr.utmb.edu
Norbert K. Herzog, PhD Pathology (Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Tropical Diseases)	Cellular signal transduction; Host cell and bacterial signalling events in the pathogenesis of Shigella infection	Assoc. Program Faculty nherzog@utmb.edu
James A. Hokanson, PhD Preventive Medicine and Community Health	Clinical investigation, biostatistics	Assoc. Program Faculty jhokanso@utmb.edu
Rolf Konig, PhD Microbiology and Immunology (Sealy Center for Molecular Sciences, NIEHS Center in Environmental Health Sciences)	Relationship between structure and function in proteins of immunologic importance, cell biology of antigen recognition	Assoc. Program Faculty rokonig@utmb.edu
James F. Leary, PhD Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases (Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics, Cellular Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Sealy Center for Molecular Sciences, Sealy Center for Oncology and Hematology)	Molecular cytometry, mechanisms of HIV infection	Assoc. Program Faculty jleary@utmb.edu
Michael R. McGinnis, PhD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Classic and molecular-based taxonomy of black fungi and other filamentous fungal groups	Assoc. Program Faculty mmcginni@utmb.edu
Bogdan J. Nowicki, MD, PhD Obstetrics and Gynecology	Molecular mechanisms of bacterial adhesion (E. coli), tissue receptors for bacterial colonization	Assoc. Program Faculty bnowicki@utmb.edu
Pearay L. Ogra, MD Pediatrics/Infectious Diseases	Respiratory syncytial virus, mucosal immunity and mucosal vaccines	Assoc. Program Faculty pogra@utmb.edu
Billy U. Philips, PhD Preventive Medicine and Community Health	Social epidemiology, human ecology	Assoc. Program Faculty bphilips@utmb.edu
Vsevolod L. Popov, PhD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Ultrastructural analysis of intracellular organisms	Assoc. Program Faculty vpopov@utmb.edu
Stanley J. Watowich, PhD Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics (Sealy Center for Structural Biology)	X-ray crystallography	Assoc. Program Faculty watowich@bloch.utmb.edu
Gail L. Woods, MD Pathology (Center for Tropical Diseases)	Medical bacteriology, mycobacterial infections	Assoc. Program Faculty gwoods@utmb.edu

Postdoctoral trainees or trainee candidates of any training grant faculty or associate faculty member are eligible. Current trainees are likewise eligible to apply for continued funding. Trainees must be permanent resident non-citizen nationals or U.S. citizens. The NIH-supported stipend will depend upon the postgraduate year of the successful applicant, and the remainder of a UTMB stipend (if greater) must be paid from other sources and is the responsibility of the faculty mentor. The program also provides limited funds for training-related tuition and fees, travel, and supplies.

Those who wish to be considered for the training program should contact potential faculty sponsor(s) directly to initiate the nomination/application process. Please see the faculty listing for e-mail addresses.

Year 3 appointments start on or after August 1, 2000. The following materials are due by May 31, 2000, for all trainee nominations:

Please send applications to Mrs. Rebecca Oliver by the due date by one of the following methods: (1) mail to the Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Rt. 0835, Galveston, Texas 77555-0835; (2) e-mail to reoliver@utmb.edu; or (3) hand deliver to Suite 722 Sealy & Smith Professional Building.

Trainees will be selected by the Admissions and Recruitment Committee, and appointed each year by the Training Program Director. Applications will be evaluated using an NIH-style scale of 1-5 considering the following criteria:

Acceptance of the appointment to the training program entails signing a standard NIH "payback form" and agreement to participate in the required course on Responsible Conduct in Research (if not taken previously).

For further information, contact:
Rebecca Oliver, Secretary
Division of Infectious Diseases, UTMB
301 University Boulevard, Route 0835
Galveston, TX 77555-0835
Telephone: 409-747-0236
Fax: 409-772-6527

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