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TL1 Program

Training Grants for PhD Students and Post-Docs

Directors: Joya Chandra, PhD, and Jeffery A. Frost, PhD
Co-Investigators: Robert Bast, MD, and Shervin Assassi, MD, MS
Contact Person: Nicolle Patterson, MS - [email protected] - 713-500-9886

The TL1 program is open to PhD (including MD/PhD) predoctoral students from across the six UTHealth schools and postdoctoral trainees at whose dissertation research is clearly translational or addresses a problem that has direct clinical implications. The program also offers didactic courses, seminars, and other training activities. The goal of the program is to train truly interdisciplinary researchers by a meaningful blending of programs and disciplines that have been traditionally operated as stand-alone entities within the UTHealth schools and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Trainees accepted into the TL1 Program receive up to 2 years of support (stipend, tuition, health insurance, and modest travel funds) in addition to resources and training in clinical and translational science.

tl1_flowchart

Eligibility Criteria

The CCTS TL1 Program supports a total of 11 predoctoral and 4 postdoctoral trainee slots.  

The program is open to:

  • Full-time PhD students in good academic standing at the McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School), UTHealth School of Public Health, School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, and School of Biomedical Informatics
  • Full-Time MD/PhD students in good academic standing during the time they are enrolled in the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School for the PhD portion of their training
  • UTHealth or M. D. Anderson Cancer Center postdoctoral scholars who have completed their PhD degree and have 0-1 years of postdoctoral training at any institution

TL1 Program support (stipend, tuition, insurance, and travel funds) is only open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents, but all MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School and UTHealth students may participate in other TL1 program activities with permission. NIH regulations do not permit the provision of stipends for students pursuing a professional degree or for students in dual-degree programs (e.g., MD/PhD or DDS/PhD) while they are enrolled in the professional school portion of their training. 

One hundred percent professional effort must be devoted to this award; no other grant salary support or outside professional employment is allowed.

 For more information, see https://gsbs.uth.edu/ccts-tl1/

Applying to the TL1 Program

THE TL1 PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.

Applications for TL1 stipend support are solicited once each year,

Appointments to the training grant are for a minimum of 12 months with an option of competitive renewals for a maximum of 2 years contingent upon annual reviews to evaluate performance and fulfillment of program expectations.

All trainees receiving stipend support are expected to develop a curriculum/training plan that will enable them to obtain core competencies in clinical and translational research. These competencies are obtained by conducting dissertation research, completing clinical and translational courses offered by participating CCTS schools and institutions, and participating in seminars, internships, research retreats, and other activities that provide training in clinical and translational research. Trainees receiving stipend support also have access to other CCTS services to support their dissertation research.

Courses and other activities are open to all UTHealth and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center trainees and are not limited to individuals receiving stipend support. Certain activities may also be open to part-time, non-degree, or other special students at UTHealth, M. D. Anderson Center, and other TMC institutions. Please note that an employee of any TMC institution may register in MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School as a non-degree student for one course each semester with the permission of his or her supervisor and the approval of the course director and Dean of MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School.    

For more information on eligibility for stipend support, application deadlines, or participating in other TL1 or CCTS-related courses or activities, please contact Nicolle Patterson, MS ([email protected]) or at 713-500-9886.

For additional information about doctoral programs available in UTHealth schools, please see the following links

 

CURRENT CCTS TL1 Trainees

Scholar/Affiliation*

Title of Project/Mentors

Years in Program


Sharvari Dharmaiah
UT MDACC
Translational Molecular Pathology

Characterizing and Targeting the Genomic Consequences of ATRX Deficiency in Cancer
Jason T Huse, MD, PhD

2021-

Mary Gronberg
UT MDACC
Radiation Physics

Development of Artificial Intelligence-Based Tools for Expert Review of Radiotherapy Treatment Plans
Laurence Court, PhD

2021-

Travis Salzillo, PhD
UT MDACC
Radiation Oncology- Research

 

The Development of Biological Tumor Volume as a Marker of Radiotherapy Treatment Response and Minimization of Normal Tissue Toxicities using the MR-linac
Clifton Fuller, MD, PhD

2021-

Renato Guerrieri
UT MDACC
Melanoma Medical Oncology

Regulation of the Immune Microenvironment and Immunotherapy Resistance by Oxidative Phosphorylation in Melanoma Brain Metastases
Michael Davies, MD, PhD

2020-

Joseph Barnes
UT MDACC
Cancer Biology 

Targeting the Qki-PPARβ/δ-RXRα  Axis as an Approach to Rescue Fatty Acid Metabolism in  Adrenoleukodystrophy
Jian Hu, PhD

2020-

Kyle LaBella
UT MDACC
Cancer Biology

KRAS Regulation of Colorectal Cancer Immune Suppression
Ronald DePinho, MD

 

2020-

Jessie Morrill
UT IMM
Center for Metabolic and Degenerative Diseases

The Influence of Dietary Fat on Neuronal Cell Membrane Properties that May Contribute to Leptin Resistance and Obesity Development
Qingchun Tong, PhD, and Ilya Levental, PhD

 

2020-

Kareem Wahid
UT MDACC
Radiation Oncology- Research

An Image-Based Translational Artificial Intelligence Framework for Personalized Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer
Clifton Fuller, MD, PhD

2020-

Michelle Winkler
UT MDACC
Immunology

Eliminating Tumor Immune Privilege Through Immune Checkpoint Cytoreduction
Michael Curran, PhD

 

2020-

Caitlynn Barrows
UT SOD
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic & Biomedical Sciences 

Elucidating the Role of Immune Cells on Salivary Gland Dysfunction in a 3D Model of Sjogren's Syndrome
Simon Young DDS, MD, PhD and Mary C. Farach-Carson, PhD

2020-

Anita Kaw
UT MMS
Internal Medicine - Medical Genetics

Characterization of Vascular Pathology in ACTA2 R179C Mutant Mouse Model
Dianna Milewicz, MD, PhD

2020-

Emily Mendez
UT MMS
UTHealth Psychiatry

Investigating Human Neuron-Specific Gene Expression Signatures of Cocaine-Induced Neurotoxicity in Postmortem Brain and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons
Consuelo Walss-Bass, PhD

2020-

Naomi Bier, PhD
UT MMS
Epidemiology  

Genomic Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance—Identifying Resistance Genes, Mobile Genetic Elements, and Pathogens
Blake Hanson, PhD

2020-

*UT MDACC, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; UT IMM, Brown Institute of Molecular Medicine; SOD, School of Dentistry; MMS, McGovern Medical School

Past Trainees

Please see this PDF for a list of past TL1 trainees and scholars.