This proposal is the renewal of a training initiative for predoctoral training in Tropical Infectious Diseases, now called The Graduate Program in Tropical Infectious Diseases (GPiTID) and requests funding for six trainees for five years. The goal of this training grant is two-fold: to train the next generation of global health leaders and to train students to advance scientific achievements toward the control of infectious diseases. The GPiTID is distinct in many aspects – the training is embedded in a school of public health but focuses on the fundamental scientific discovery using cutting edge approaches of genomics, cell biology, immunology, population biology and gene editing coupled with the epidemiology of diseases in their natural setting to address major infections both that pose a threat to public health both in the US and abroad. There is a focus on fundamental scientific training but in the context of the diseases as holistic problems and with an emphasis on fundamental discoveries that could lead to new interventions including drug, vaccine and insecticide development. The Principal Investigators of the program are Professor Dyann Wirth, Richard Pearson Strong Professor, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Senior Associate Member at the Broad Institute, and Faculty Chair of the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS) Ph.D. Program, Professor Phyllis Kanki of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor Eric Rubin, the Irene Heinz Given Professor and Chair, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. The training program will be housed in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, centrally located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, MA. Trainees have the opportunity to interact with students from diverse professional and personal backgrounds including a large number of international students from countries where infectious diseases remain a major health threat, leading to over 50% of overall early childhood morality in many countries and devastating young adult populations in their most productive years. The trainees in GPiTID attend introductory classes in epidemiology, biostatistics and the history of public health with students from all HSPH academic programs including the professional degrees of MPH and DrPH. The GPiTID also offers students opportunities at the interface of laboratory science and translational applications in the form of two special programs, one an opportunity to conduct part of their thesis work in a disease endemic setting and a second to train in the Clinical-Laboratory Partnership in Infectious Disease (CLP-ID) program. Appointments will be in 1-year intervals.

Project Narrative Despite scientific advances in combating deadly infectious diseases and successes in treatment in developed countries, the world-wide death toll continues to rise because new diseases continue to emerge, drug resistance is increasing and there are no effective vaccines for some of the deadliest diseases. To address these challenges, the integrated Graduate Program in Tropical Infectious Diseases (GPiTID) is embedded in a school of public health but focuses on the fundamental scientific discovery using cutting edge approaches of genomics, cell biology, immunology, population biology and gene editing coupled with epidemiology of the diseases in their natural setting to address major infections both that pose a threat to public health both in the US and abroad. There is a focus on fundamental scientific training but in the context of the diseases as holistic problems and with an emphasis on fundamental discoveries that could lead to new interventions including drug, vaccine and insecticide development.