PROGRAM:

An interdisciplinary biodefense and emerging infectious diseases training program for both predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows has been established at the Wadsworth Center in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health's Division of Epidemiology and with the State University at Albany's Departments of Biomedical Sciences, Epidemiology and Biostatistics. This program, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), is intended to prepare the next generation of scientists who will develop integrated research programs in biodefense preparedness and response to infectious threats.

Fellows will receive broad training in bioterrorist agents, emerging infectious disease, and epidemiology. Trainees will learn about clinically relevant laboratory pathogens by participating in lab rotations and seminars and taking advantage of opportunities to conduct basic and applied research on biodefense agents. They may also participate in field research on the ecology and epidemiology of the NIAID priority pathogens, work directly on epidemiologic investigations, and receive training in biocontainment and the latest diagnostic methods. Fellows will pursue research in funded laboratories (see Training Faculty/Research Interests below). The Wadsworth Center has several state of the art high containment laboratories (BLS3) including an insectary and small animal space. In addition, Core facilities are available to facilitate research.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR:

The director of the training program, Marlene Belfort, PhD, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Microbiology. She is Director of the Division of Genetic Disorders at the Wadsworth Center and is a Distinguished Professor of Molecular Genetics, Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany.

• Pre- and Post-Doctoral Fellowship Opportunities

TRAINING FACULTY/RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Marlene Belfort, Ph.D. - Dynamics of introns and inteins in bacterial pathogens
• Jan Conn, Ph.D. - Evolutionary and population genetics, ecology, natural history
• Paul Davis, M.D. - Host response, signal transduction, cell biology
• Keith Derbyshire, Ph.D. - Molecular genetics and genomics of mycobacteria, virulence, mobile DNA, drug design
• Joachim Frank, Ph.D. - Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Structural and cell biology
• Laura Kramer, Ph.D. - Host-vector-virus interrelationships, viral evolution
• David Lawrence, Ph.D. - Immunity, neuroimmune models, host response, pathogenesis
• William Lee, Ph.D. - T-cell development; phenotypic, developmental, and functional characterization of differences between virgin and memory T-helper cells
• Nicholas Mantis, Ph.D. - Mucosal immunity to ricin and Staphylococcal Entertoxin B
• Paul Masters, Ph.D. - Pathogen replication, genetics
• Kathleen McDonough, Ph.D. - Pathogenesis, pathogen replication
• Dale Morse, M.D. - Epidemiology, emerging infections
• Pei-Yong Shi, Ph.D. - Molecular biology and biochemistry of flavivirus replication
• David Wentworth, Ph.D. - Molecular determinants of interspecies transmission and pathogenesis of influenza and corona viruses
• Gary Winslow, Ph.D. - Host immune responses to bacterial pathogens in animal models

To apply, please go to the BMS Admissions and Correspondence web page and select the application packet link.

For further information contact us at:

Department of Biomedical Sciences
Wadsworth Center
P.O. Box 509
Albany, NY 12201-0509

Phone:(518) 473-7553
E-mail: bmsdept@wadsworth.org