Training Programs
Along with colleagues in the School of Pharmacy and EOHSI Institute, Dr. Aleksunes oversees training and grant writing programs for a range of educational paths including high school students, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career faculty and scientists.
Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology
The Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology (JGPT) is an interdepartmental program designed to train students and postdoctoral fellows in the discipline of toxicology. The JGPT offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees and provides the research training for Pharm.D./Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students. The JGPT has been awarded a T32 Training Grant in Environmental Toxicology (T32ES007148) for over 35 years. Read more.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program is an NIH-funded REU intended for highly motivated undergraduates interested in a research career in the pharmaceutical and environmental sciences. Students are provided with an opportunity to conduct full-time research in areas related to Pharmacology and Toxicology, Environmental Health Sciences, Pharmaceutics, Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Clinical Pharmacy. Read more.
Toxicology, Health and Environmental Disease High School Program
The Toxicology, Health and Environmental Disease (THED) is a highly intensive weeklong program for motivated high school students. Students participate in a variety of activities including laboratory ethics, experimental design, genetics, drug disposition and pharmacogenetics, and forensic toxicology. In addition, participants learn about career options in medicine, pharmacy, toxicology, environmental science, and biomedical research. Read more.
Risk Assessment Bootcamp
Over the two days, participants learn the fundamentals of risk assessment including risk analysis, systematic review, data quality, weight of evidence, hazard identification, susceptible populations, exposure pathways, point-of-departure, reference values, and more. Case studies and hands-on exercises provide real world scenarios for application of course content. Read more.
NIH Fellowship Writing Group
This ten-week program provides predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows with an overview of the NIH grant writing process. Each week, participants submit drafts of specific grant application components for peer review and comments. Fellows meet with the grant coach for 1-hour a week to discuss parts of the grant application, sponsored programs, scientific review groups and institutes, responding to peer review critiques, and submission of the final grant application. Read more.
NIH Career and Research Grant Training
To assist new scientists in developing their career and research grants for submission to NIH, Dr. Aleksunes, alongside another grant writing coach Dr. Suzie Chen in the School of Pharmacy, host a monthly peer review group focused on Specific Aims pages. They use the recommended practices of the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). Likewise, grant writing bootcamps and mini-courses are held periodically throughout out the year. Read more.