Graduate Student Grants & Funding Opportunities

Pharmacology Research on Individualized factors in Substance Misuse (PRISM) (T32 coming soon), run by Christopher Olsen, PhD, and John Mantsch, PhD, and the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology; Program Administrator Elizabeth Gizewski

The Pharmacology Research on Individualized factors in Substance Misuse (PRISM) Training Program is designed to meet the need to train the next generation of researchers to understand and study the influences of individualized factors on susceptibility and treatment responses in substance misuse by providing trainees with in-depth experiences and a holistic education on the impact of unique factors on addiction liability. In the lab, PRISM scholars will study the influence of personalized factors on substance misuse in one of several themes, including stress, neuroinflammation, circuits/plasticity, chronic pain, brain injury, and/or endocannabinoid signaling. Outside the lab, PRISM scholars will get real-world experiences to begin to understand the bidirectional impact of substance use disorders on individuals and communities. These experiences include shadowing practitioners and harm reduction specialists, learning from people with lived experience, and engaging community partners in Milwaukee to discuss scientific and community aspects of substance misuse. To further promote professional development and a broad exposure to different applications of substance misuse research, PRISM scholars will complete a capstone project in one of five themes: community engagement, policy, industry, teaching/education, or translational research. Completion of the capstone project will be supported by a specific capstone mentor and participation in PRISM scholars Learning Community events. By integrating these comprehensive training components, the PRISM Training Program aims to cultivate a new generation of researchers equipped to address the individual challenges of substance misuse.

The program will support 3 predoctoral trainees per year.

Integrated Physiology Training: Molecule to Organism (T32 HL007852), run by Matthew Hodges, PhD and the Department of Physiology; Program Administrator Jane Brennan-Nelson.

The Physiology Training Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin offers multidisciplinary instruction and cutting-edge integrative physiology research training emphasizing the integration of knowledge from the molecule to cell to organ to organism. Trainees develop critical thinking, integrative reasoning, and technical skills participating in research focused on the prevention and control of HLBS diseases such as hypertension, metabolic disease, epilepsy and chronic respiratory diseases. Our program focuses on critical thinking, organ systems physiology and translational research training.

Trainees are full-time PhD candidates, and must successfully complete the course and research requirements, including passing the Qualifying Exam before being considered for NIH training grant support. Selection of T32 trainees will be based on several performance metrics in coursework and research productivity, in addition to the alignment of their research focus in the Physiological sciences and the candidate’s potential for a successful career in the biomedical sciences. Research training is under the direct supervision of highly skilled and experienced faculty preceptors in the basic sciences (primarily Physiology) and enhanced by clinical faculty. Trainees will undergo continuous evaluation of progress by Individual Development Plans that facilitate career development and progress toward individualized trainee goals. The success of our program in training is evidenced by a high completion rate and a publication record of the twelve T32 supported graduates in the past 10 years, who have 25 first-authored and 42 co-authored publications (~5.6/trainee). Each of these trainees has gone on to academic research, teaching or patient care positions indicative of the success of our approach to ensuring the future of integrative physiology.

The training program supports 8 predoctoral students each year.

Research Training Program in Vision Science (T32 EY014537), run by Elena Semina, PhD and the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; Program Administrator Joan Reik

The Training Program in Vision Science at the Medical College of Wisconsin aims to prepare trainees for careers in vision research. This requires that students have a broad appreciation of the major features of the visual system, a contemporary understanding of the diseases that impact vision, and state-of-the-art skills for experimental work in the visual system. It also requires that trainees acquire the analytical and communication skills necessary to succeed in a multidisciplinary research environment. Our highly collaborative mentor group provides expertise in multiple aspects of the visual system, including: the mechanisms of ocular disorders (ranging from early onset pediatric phenotypes to adult onset degenerative disorders, diabetic retinopathy and myopia); development of diverse disease models for functional studies; retinal circuitry and its development; gene therapy and editing; nuclear magnetic resonance methods, with X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics simulations; and ocular coherence tomography and adaptive optics.

Trainees will complete a core curriculum including fundamental topics in Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, Neurobiology, Biophysics, Physiology and Cell Biology. In addition, students will receive training in the “Instructional Program in the Responsible Conduct of Research” and "The Biology of Vision" as a prelude to conducting dissertation research. All students will have the opportunity to enroll in the Clinical and Translational Science certificate program, which includes additional training in translational research. All trainees in mentor labs will also participate in a monthly Vision Science Forum, the Distinguished Lecture Series in Vision Science, an annual T32 Student Symposium and other events. New features of the program include: a Young Investigator Seminar Series, uniquely designed to allow our trainees to interact with trainees in other vision programs around the world; an annual off-campus Vision Science Retreat uniting basic and clinical research performed at MCW; expanded opportunities for interactions with the clinical enterprise; and an enhanced focus on modern approaches. Our past record includes 40 pre-doctoral trainees, of which 12 hold faculty positions (8 in vision research), 13 developed successful non-academic biomedical science careers, 6 are postdoctoral fellows and 7 are currently still in training.

The program supports 6 predoctoral trainees annually.

The MCW Cancer Center Graduate Fellowship

The MCW Cancer Center Graduate Fellowship supports the development of highly promising and accomplished PhD trainees with the potential to become independent cancer research scientists. Due to the complexity of cancer, finding ways to prevent and cure this disease requires a multidisciplinary effort. Therefore, doctoral students in any discipline at MCW with an interest in cancer research are encouraged to apply. The program provides up to two years of support, including coverage of the fellow’s stipend and health insurance. Stipends are determined using MCW Graduate School stipend amount.

Fellowship Award Stipend

An additional stipend of $500 is given to graduate students semi-annually who are awarded individual fellowships (ex. NIH F30/F31) as an incentive to apply for these prestigious and highly competitive grants.

Contact GradSchool@mcw.edu for more information.

Graduate Student Conference Education Fund

The Travel Fund is designed to offset costs associated with graduate students presenting their research at regional, national, or international scientific meetings. With this $1000 award the Graduate School recognizes that presentation of research findings at an external meeting is an essential professional development opportunity for all graduate students and supports academic presentation skills, professional feedback, and networking.

Contact GradSchool@mcw.edu for more information.