Valuable Experience and Professional Development
University of Utah is proud to offer a wealth of institutional training grants that provide valuable research training and professional development for our predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in a wide range of disciplines. These National Institutes of Health-sponsored grants come from 10 different NIH institutes and centers. Collectively these grants support nearly 150 trainees, including graduate students, postdoctoral, and short-term trainees.
The U also hosts many excellent programs for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral trainees that are specifically designed to enhance diversity in biomedical science. If you are interested in finding out more about a particular training grant program, contact the principal investigator (PI) or a member of the Biomedical Training Program team (contact information below).
Trainees also have the opportunity to apply for individual fellowships sponsored by other prestigious national organizations. See listings of individual predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships and learn about the benefits of applying.
Institutional Training Grants (T32 & TL1)
Institutional training grants are operated by the U and sponsored by the NIH. They provide trainees with specialty mentored training by top scientists in their fields. If you are interested in learning more about a specific program, contact the principal investigator (PI) or the Biomedical Training Programs team.
University of Utah Biomedical Informatics Training Grant
PI: Karen Eilbeck (keilbech@genetics.utah.edu)
The NLM Training Program provides a well-balanced faculty, a thoughtful curriculum, a proactive recruitment strategy, and an unparalleled research environment.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NLM
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Spheres of Translation Across the Research Spectrum (STARS)
PI: Angie Fagerlin (angie.fagerlin@hsc.utah.edu)
The TL1 program will provide the necessary predoctoral and postdoctoral training to produce scientists with a deep appreciation of the spectrum of translational science, a team science outlook, and an aptitude for cross-discipline communication.
Sponsor/Institute: NCATS
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Neuroimmunology Training Program
PIs: Ryan O'Connell, Karen Wilcox
The field of neuroimmunology is a rapidly growing discipline at the intersection of immunology and neurosciences. This training program is designed to meet this specific need and train future researchers in this clinically relevant field of study.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NINDS
Open to predoctoral trainees only
Training in Development of Interventions for the Treatment of Neurological & Neurobehavioral Disorders
PI: Kristen Keef
The objective of this program is to provide formal education in the translational processes needed for moving basic science discoveries to clinical practice. The program will develop burgeoning “professional translators” poised to promote the translation of basic research findings to improved therapeutic outcomes in patients.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NINDS
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Interdisciplinary Training in Cancer, Aging & End-of-Life Care
PI: Lee Ellington, Kathleen Mooney (lee.ellington@nurse.utah.edu)
This program provides training to fill a need to provide evidence on how to best help patients with chronic and life-limiting illnesses and families sustain health and well-being, foster patient and family engagement, manage symptoms associated with chronic disease, and die free of pain and family burden.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NINR
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Developmental Biology Training Program
PI: : H. Joseph Yost (jyost@genetics.utah.edu)
Training predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers in developmental biology provides the next generation of biomedical researchers with experience in a wide range of model systems for important discoveries in human health and disease.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NICHD
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Program for Interdisciplinary Training in Chemical Biology
PI: Michael Kay (kay@biochem.utah.edu)
This training will prepare students for independent careers in a research area that has strong applications to human health, including drug discovery and studies of disease mechanisms.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NIGMS
Open to predoctoral trainees only
Genetics Training Program
PI: Gillian Stanfield (gillians@genetics.utah.edu), David Grunwald
The goal of this program is to give diverse, outstanding researchers a broad education in genetics, intensive training in the process of performing and evaluating research in a rigorous and ethical manner, and mentorship and support of their development as productive members of society.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NIMGS
Open to predoctoral trainees only
Interdisciplinary Training Program in Computational Approaches to Diabetes and Metabolism Research
PI: Karen Eilbeck, Marcus Pezolesi (keilbech@genetics.utah.edu)
This program trains both predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in the computational and mathematical sciences and in the biological basis of diabetes and obesity.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NIDDK
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Interdisciplinary Training Program in Metabolism
PI: Scott Summers
This program prepares future investigators for scientific careers in the field of diabetes and obesity-related metabolic disorders by leveraging the U's Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NIDDK
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Cross-Disciplinary Training in Immunology, Inflammation, and Infectious Disease
PI: Brian Evavold (brian.evavold@path.utah.edu), Matthew Williams
Health immunology is an interdisciplinary science with direct relevance to many human diseases, including infectious, autoimmune, inflammatory, and immunodeficiency diseases and cancer. The training program will meet a growing challenge to understand and exploit the immune system to treat human disease.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NIAID
Open to predoctoral trainees only
Training Program in Microbial Pathogenesis
PI: Matthew Mulvey (mulvey@path.utah.edu), Vicente Planelles
Microbial pathogenesis lies at the crossroads of microbiology, immunology, infectious diseases, and host defense. The Microbial Pathogenesis Training Program brings together basic and clinical scientists for the exchange of ideas and the enhancement of research goals at the University of Utah.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NIAID
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Cardiovasomobility Research Training Program
PIs: Russell Richardson, Mark Supiano
Research investigating the maintenance of cardiovascular health, functional status, and the associated quality of life is best approached in a comprehensive, interdisciplinary manner. This program serves to create an innovative, interdisciplinary program to train scientists across the translational spectrum in mobility and cardiovascular health research.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NHLBI
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Cardiovascular Research
PIs: Stavros Drakos, Robin Shaw
There is an ongoing need to provide multidisciplinary training for physician and PhD investigators who will devote a significant component of their professional activity to understanding the pathophysiology and treatment of cardiovascular disease. This training grant facilitates that training experience.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NHLBI
Open to postdoctoral trainees only
Multidisciplinary Pulmonary and Critical Care Research Training Program
PI: Robert Paine
Through a combination of a mentored research experience and select graduate-level courses, trainees will be prepared to pursue the new biology of pulmonary and critical care medicine for the future, working as part of collaborative teams linking basic and clinic research to bring new discoveries to the care of patients.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NHLBI
Open to postdoctoral trainees only
Training Program in Genomic Medicine
PI: Lynn Jorde (Lynn.Jorde@hsc.utah.edu)
To maximize the clinical impact of genomic information, we must train a workforce of physicians and scientists to interpret and manage genomic data, to work within teams of researchers from different disciplines, and to communicate genomic information effectively and responsibly to patients.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NHGRI
Open to postdoctoral trainees only
Vision Research Training Grant
PI: David Krizaj
Trainees will experience strong interdisciplinary and interdepartmental collaborations, and be exposed to new national and international vision research community events, new comprehensive eye and vision courses, and clinical ophthalmology.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NEI
Open to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees
Collectively these grants support nearly 150 trainees, including graduate students, postdoctoral, and short-term trainees.
Medical Student Training Grants (T35)
These grants provide medical students with superlative research experience and specialty training led by top scientists.
Short-Term Training: Students in Health Professional Schools
PIs: Martin Tristani-Firouzi (martin.tristani@utah.edu), Matt Rondina
Medical students work with established mentors on heart, lung, and/or blood research generating results in basic or clinical research that are presented at local and national meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals, preparing them for futures in academic medicine.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NHLBI
Medical Student Research Program in Eye Health and Disease
PI: ME Hartnett (me.hartnett@hsc.utah.edu)
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NEI
Medical Student Research Program in Metabolism, Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases
PIs: Srini Beddhu (srinivasan.bedduh@hsc.utah.edu), June Round
This program nurtures and builds the physician-scientist workforce of tomorrow through mentored summer research experiences and an innovative course on creative and critical thinking in the research fields of metabolism, diabetes, digestion, hematologic, or kidney disease.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NIDDK
Career Development Training Grants for Residents and Junior Faculty
U of U Health offers growth opportunities throughout a researcher's career. These career development grants prepare outstanding residents for a career in academic medicine and clinical investigation and to provide research experience and mentorship to junior faculty.
Utah Stimulating Access to Research in Residency Transition Scholar (StARR)
PIs: Kola Okuyemi (kola.okuyemi@hsc.utah.edu), Molly Conroy
The goal of StARR is to transition resident investigators to successful careers as physician researchers to conduct clinical, translational, and health services research. Trainees will be provided didactic coursework in research methods, leadership training and career development, and extensive mentoring throughout the program.
Sponsor/Institute: NIH-NHLBI
Pediatric Critical Care and Trauma Scientist Development Program
PIs: Heather Keenan (heather.keenan@hsc.utah.edu)
The goal of the PCCTSDP is to increase the number of diverse, well-trained, successfully funded physician-scientists in pediatric critical care and trauma surgery who are capable of sustaining careers in basic, clinical, translational and health services research that advance the understanding and care of critically ill and injured children and their families.
Sponsor/Institute: NICHD
Utah Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Program
PI: Robert Silver (bob.silver@hsc.utah.edu)
The Utah WRHR Program will continue to prepare clinical and translational research scholars to lead research programs that will improve women's health across the life course.
Sponsor/Institute: NICHD
Institutional Career Development Core
PI: Maureen Murtaugh (maureen.murtaugh@hsc.utah.edu)
The CTSI KL2 Program rationale has been to distinguish itself by providing promising junior faculty researchers with multidimensional mentored research experiences that enable them to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate translational science to advance health.
Sponsor/Institute: NCATS
Individual Fellowships
A number of national organizations offer fellowships to trainees at specific stages in their career, or who fall in certain categories, or perform research in target areas. Browse the lists below to find a fellowship that is right for you.
Graduate Student Fellowship Incentive Program
This program is intended to maximize success in research education for students, faculty, and departments/colleges by incentivizing the submission of competitive individual fellowship proposals. Eligibility requirements and key program details are outlined below.
- A student who is awarded an external individual fellowship and meets the criteria detailed below will receive a stipend bonus of $3,000/year (paid by the College/School) for the duration of time that the fellowship is active.
- Participating Colleges/Schools include: Dentistry, Health, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy.
- To be eligible a student’s PhD advisor must have a primary appointment in a participating College/School.
- A student may be eligible to participate, even if they are formally enrolled in a PhD program that is administered by a unit outside of the participating Colleges/Schools. The relevant criterion for eligibility is that the student’s advisor (the individual responsible for stipend and tuition) has a primary faculty appointment in a participating College/School.
- To qualify, the awarded individual fellowship must be a competitive award supported by an external funding agency and provide at least $18,000/year in stipend support. Institutional training grant appointments, such as from an NIH T32, do not qualify.
- If the stipend provided by the fellowship is less than the standard amount provided by the PhD program, the faculty advisor (or Department) will fund the difference so that the student’s base stipend is equal to all other students in that program. These funds must come from a non-federal source.
- It is expected that students submit a copy of their scientific proposal and supporting documents to a fellowship repository that will be leveraged to help other students prepare high-quality fellowship applications.
- This program will go into effect on July 1, 2022. All fellowships with funding on that date or after will be eligible.
- Students who have received notice of award for a qualifying fellowship should contact their College/School representative:
- College of Dentistry – Melodie Weller (Melodie.Weller@hsc.utah.edu)
- College of Health – Pattie O’Kane (pattie.okane@hsc.utah.edu)
- School of Medicine – SarahMay Jones (sarahmay.jones@hsc.utah.edu)
- College of Nursing – Terri Pianka (Terri.Pianka@nurs.utah.edu)
- College of Pharmacy – Brittany Thurgood (brittany.thurgood@utah.edu)
Support for Applicants and Grant Recipients
The Biomedical Training Program team provides trainees and faculty pre and post-award support for institutional training grants. See their resources for grant writing and proposal development support. After receiving a grant, see their post award resources regarding compliance, acknowledgments, health insurance, and more. For faculty, there are resources available when considering applying for a new training grant.
Contact the training program team below with your questions.
Contact Us
The Biomedical Training Programs team provides support for the health sciences training infrastructure at the U. Our team works closely with offices across campus to coordinate and support activities related to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees. We provide pre and post-award support for the 20+ institutional training grants on campus and stay current on national trends and evolving grant requirements to ensure compliance and enhance programs. Contact us with your questions about training programs and pre and post award support.
| Sean Flynn, PhD Associate Director, Training Programs sean.flynn@hsc.utah.edu |
SarahMay Case Academic Programs Manager (Post-Award Support) sarahmay.case@hsc.utah.edu |
| Jess Kieper, CRA Research Manager, Institutional Training Programs jessica.kieper@hsc.utah.edu |
Jeanette Ducut-Sigala, PhD Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Health Sciences Training Programs j.ducutsigala@utah.edu |