title: Breaking the Mold: Partnering with the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program to Accelerate PhD Training.
abstract: Immunology is an increasingly interdisciplinary field. Here we describe a new model for interinstitutional graduate training as partnerships between complementary laboratories. This collaborative model reduces time to graduation without compromising productivity or alumni outcomes. We offer our experience with one such program and thoughts on the ingredients for their success. Despite tremendous recent advances in technology, communications, and the translation of basic scientific discoveries into new diagnostics and therapies for human diseases, graduate training in immunology and other areas of biomedical research in the United States has remained remarkably unchanged since the early 20th century, with coursework and laboratory rotations taking up much of the first 2 years, and a single mentor shepherding the student through a research project over 3 or more subsequent years. The time to graduation still averages more than 6 years in the biomedical sciences field (http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsf16300/), with uncertain benefit of this extended time to research productivity and career advancement.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soucy
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Rick M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fairhurst
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Geoffrey M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lynn
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fomalont
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Wynn
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: SiegelR@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Siegel
mesh_terms: D000486:Allergy and Immunology / Q000193:education*; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002322:Career Mobility; D004500:Education, Graduate; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D017145:Models, Educational; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D014481:United States; D014495:Universities