Author: Sherrie D Lilly

Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering Fellow in Health Disparities Elimination and Community Action

Posted on by Sherrie D Lilly

Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering

Fellow in Health Disparities Elimination and Community Action

Postdoctoral Fellow position in Health Disparities

Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut is seeks to hire a full time, Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in the CT Convergence Institute.

The Health Disparities Fellow will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer and Assistant Director of the Connecticut Convergence Institute on Health Disparities related initiatives and will contribute to research and community engagement initiatives associated with the Connecticut Convergence Institute Health Disparities Core Projects. In this capacity, the fellow will work on a new National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Medicine, Engineering and Science.  The fellow will be engaged part time to work with the development of Perspective papers and surveys related to issues facing Black Men and Black Women in Medicine, Engineering and Science.  The Fellow will also work with members of the Roundtable on formulation of follow on projects from ideas generated from the Roundtable.  In addition, the Fellow will work on community health disparities projects funded by an Aetna Foundation Community Partnership Grant to the Connecticut Convergence Institute. The Fellow will also serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, published by Springer Nature and having its home at the Connecticut Convergence Institute at UCONN.

The successful candidate must hold a terminal professional degree (e.g. Ph.D. M.D., and/or M.P.H.) and have demonstrated potential for success based on scholarly record and demonstrated interest in health disparities, and have the ability to work in collaboration with clinical, translational and/or basic scientists.

A curriculum vitae and a cover letter (in pdf files) and questions regarding this search should be directed to Dr. Lakshmi Nair, Associate Director of the Connecticut Convergence Institute at nair@uchc.edu.

New T32 Doctoral Training Program in Regenerative Engineering

Posted on by Sherrie D Lilly

Application Open for New T32 Doctoral Training Program in Regenerative Engineering

The Connecticut Convergence Institute has been awarded the T32 Program Grant Regenerative Engineering of Musculoskeletal Tissues: A Convergence Doctoral Training Program by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, AR079114). This T32 Program aims to educate, support and enhance the training of individuals dedicated to careers as independent translational and basic scientists in regenerative engineering. The program offers inter-disciplinary research training at UConn Health and UConn Storrs combining the fields of biomedical science and engineering.

OVERVIEW

Trainees will be selected from current UConn graduate students at UConn Health and UConn Storrs who have completed their first year of graduate studies. The T32 Program will offer trainees a broad level of expertise in research and instruction based on the research and educational experiences of the biomedical and engineering faculty who serve as preceptors. Trainees will become experts in regenerative engineering and its foundations to work towards the alleviation of human disease and musculoskeletal injuries by means of tissue regeneration. The Program strengths include its interdisciplinary and collaborative research in biomedical science and engineering, interactions with diverse trainees and faculty, training in contemporary research methodologies, and experienced preceptors.

ELIGIBILITY

All applicants must:

  • Be a citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States.
  • Be current UConn Health or UConn Storrs graduate student who has completed their first year of PhD studies.
  • Demonstrate high motivation and potential to become a basic, clinical or translational scientist with an interest in the field of Regeneration.
  • Have a high probability of fulfilling the educational goals of this program.

APPLICATION PROCESS [Submission Deadline: July 21, 2021]

  • Applicants will request an application package directly by email to Lana Angelo at langelo@uchc.edu.
  • Application Documents
    1. Predoctoral Biosketch: This is the key document to be used for this application. Follow the directions provided in the Applicant Predoctoral Biosketch Guidance Document. (Failure to complete all sections of the biosketch will result in disqualification.)
    2. Letter of Recommendation: The letter must be from a current UConn Health or UConn Storrs faculty member with whom the applicant has worked closely in their first year of doctoral program research. A recommendation from a lab rotation mentor, major advisor, or advisory committee member is suggested.
  • Applicants will submit their application package directly by email to Lana Angelo at langelo@uchc.edu.

 

For more information, contact Lana Angelo, Educational Programs Manager, at langelo@uchc.edu.

New Grant in Regenerative Engineering Awarded

Posted on by Sherrie D Lilly

New Grant to Train Future Scientists in Regenerative Engineering

Awarded to the Connecticut Convergence Institute

 

The novel doctoral T32 Program, Regenerative Engineering of Musculoskeletal Tissues: A Convergence Doctoral Training Program has been funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases NIAMS (T32 AR079114) for 5 years (2021-2026). The T32 Program goals are to educate, support and enhance the training of individuals dedicated to careers as independent clinical translational and basic scientists in regenerative engineering.

 

The program offers inter-disciplinary research training at the University of Connecticut (UConn) combining the fields of biomedical science and engineering. Faculty at the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering who led this grant were Dr. Cato Laurencin (Principal Investigator), Dr. Gualberto Ruaño (Co-Investigator), and Dr. Lakshmi Nair (Co-Investigator).

 

Regenerative Engineering is defined as the Convergence of advanced materials science, stem cell science, physics, developmental biology and clinical translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. Musculoskeletal regeneration is a field ripe for an inventive approach based on convergence to address challenging issues, advance technology and further fundamental knowledge for therapeutic applications. At the center of the Convergence approach is the understanding that new solutions in regeneration will take place through an ‘un-siloed’ approach.

 

The T32 Program will enroll 2 Ph.D. or dual degree students per year and support each for 2 years of Graduate School. The students will be drawn from graduate programs at UConn Health and UConn Storrs. The students will apply for T32 support at the end of Year 1 of their graduate programs to be supported for Years 2-3. The T32 Program will offer trainees a broad level of expertise in research and instruction based on the research, educational, and clinical experiences of the biomedical and engineering faculty who serve as preceptors. Trainees will become experts in regenerative engineering and its foundations to work towards the alleviation of human disease and musculoskeletal injuries by means of tissue regeneration.

 

The T32 Program has preceptorship commitments from 20 distinguished faculty across UConn departments (including Biomedical Engineering, Cell Biology, Computer Science, Genetics and Genome Sciences, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Oral Health, Orthopedic Surgery). This eminent group of investigators, who are well funded and published, will provide the primary research training and serve as role models for doctoral trainees.

 

Regenerative Engineering welcomes ideas and research across a gamut of disciplines. The Program strengths include its interdisciplinary and collaborative research in biomedical science and engineering, interactions with diverse trainees and faculty, training in contemporary research methodologies, and experienced preceptors. T32 Program administration through the Connecticut Convergence Institute will provide the experience to recruit diverse trainees, including minorities, and implement the curriculum.

 

Disorders of the musculoskeletal system with advancing age or due to injury and trauma are among the most debilitating to the human body and costly to the healthcare system with disability. Novel treatments will require convergence of molecular, cellular, and organismic research through interdisciplinary integration of biomedical science and engineering. This T32 Program is based on the unique concept of training Ph.D. candidates in the realm of scientific convergence applied to the field of regenerative engineering to enable fundamental and translational discoveries