Dr. Paolo Casali, Zachry Foundation Distinguished Professor, of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics (MIMG), was awarded a T32 Training Grant for his Graduate Research in Immunity Program (GRIP) from the National Institutes of Health. The five-year grant began September 1, 2018, and the first eligible graduate students will be selected for the upcoming academic year.

By fostering and integrating research and training in molecular and cellular mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity, B and T cell biology, antibody gene expression and epigenetics, immunology of aging, autoimmunity, microbial pathogenesis and cancer immunology, GRIP will train Ph.D., D.D.S./Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students for successful careers in academia, industry or government. The overarching goal is to train immunologists who will become leaders in the biomedical field.

“In addition to the need for continued advances in our basic understanding of immune responses in health and disease, there is a need for translating what is being learned from preclinical and animal models to human diseases more directly,” said Paolo Casali, M.D., principal investigator of the grant, “GRIP is designed to address this need by offering select Ph.D. students, enrolled in our Ph.D. program, unique opportunities for training beyond the basic curriculum.”

The GRIP T32 will provide support for three students per year, and a fourth slot will be supported by matching funds from the Dean of the Long School of Medicine. Eligible students will be selected to participate based on research productivity and will receive a stipend and paid tuition and fees, among other incentives and opportunities. Awardees will be announced soon.