North Carolina State University - Program in Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Michigan State University - Program in Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation
University of Illinois - Program in Comparative Pathology
University of Maryland - Program in Veterinary Medical Sciences

The National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research in collaboration with:

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

has formed graduate education partnerships with the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine:

• North Carolina State University - Program in Comparative Biomedical Sciences
• Michigan State University - Program in Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation
• University of Illinois - Program in Comparative Pathology
• University of Maryland - Program in Veterinary Medical Sciences

to offer combined comparative pathology and biomedical research training for doctors of veterinary medicine.

The NCI-CCR has developed a comprehensive Comparative Molecular Pathology Graduate Partnership Training Program that addresses the nation's unmet needs for investigators and scientific collaborators with expertise in animal models of human disease who are trained to engage in interdisciplinary research as envisioned by the NIH roadmap. The goal of the program is to partner with universities and other NIH collaborators in order to provide training for outstanding candidates preparing for careers in comparative pathology and translational research.

The NCI CCR Comparative Molecular Pathology Graduate Partnership Program is tailored for those with degrees in veterinary medicine, and is intended to offer an educational opportunity leading to a Ph.D. and eligibility for certification as a medical specialist in veterinary pathology. This program focuses on preparing investigators in basic and translational research by taking advantage of training in both animal clinical (veterinary) medicine as well as training in human disease biomedical research. The program approaches this by the integration of multidisciplinary training in

• animal pathophysiology,
• veterinary pathology,
• human pathology,
• molecular biology, and
• medical research.

Research opportunities in this program are diverse, including opportunities at the NCI-CCR, NIAID, NIDDK, NHLBI, and encompass a variety of disciplines including: Allergy; Asthma; Autoimmunity; Bioterrorism; Cancer Prevention; Carcinogenesis; Cell Biology; Cell, Stem Cell, and Developmental Biology; Diabetes; Digestive Disease; Emerging Infections; Endocrine Disorders; Genetics; Hematologic Disease; Immunology; Infectious Diseases; Lipid Metabolism; Lung Disease; Metastasis; Molecular Pathology; Molecular Targets; Nutrition; Oncology; Pathogenesis and Animal Models; Renal Disease; Vascular Biology, Disease, and Remodeling; Virology.

The NCI CCR Comparative Molecular Pathology Graduate Partnership Training Program encompasses two distinct yet interrelated approaches toward training that are designed to answer the specific needs of individuals at different stages of training and laboratory experience. The two components of the program are (see scheme).

NCI Graduate Scholars in Comparative and Molecular Pathology (GSMP) Program
Combined Residency and Ph.D. Training Support for DVMs.
This program offers a unique opportunity for students to obtain a Ph.D. degree as part of their training in diagnostic pathology at an NCI graduate partnership university. After their initial diagnostic pathology and graduate level training at a university partner, Graduate Scholars will come to the NIH to begin laboratory research in the intramural laboratories of the NCI-CCR, NIAID, NIDDK, or NHLBI for their graduate dissertations. This program component is designed to support graduate veterinarians during their training in veterinary pathology and biomedical research. For this component, the CCR has partnerships with selected U.S. universities indicated above that offer graduate training in comparative and veterinary medicine. Competitively selected Graduate Scholars enroll in a combined five-year diagnostic pathology training and Ph.D. program (see application process). The NCI-CCR collaborating institutes will support Graduate Scholars for up to two years at their universities and for three years at the NIH under a University Partnership Agreement. In addition to experience in basic and translational research training oportunities, the program includes additional training in pathology.  Successful completion of the program will lead to a Ph.D. degree and eligibility for certification as a specialist in veterinary pathology.

The NCI Molecular Pathology Graduate Fellowship (MPGF) Program
Ph.D Training Support for DVM Pathologists after Residency
This program is for veterinarians who have completed most or all of their clinical residency training in veterinary pathology or veterinary clinical pathology and who desire training in biomedical research. This initiative allows individuals to participate in graduate-level laboratory training at the NIH. Fellows in this program will spend their first year after residency at a partnership university where they will complete the didactic portion of their Ph.D. Once class work is completed, Fellows will train and perform their dissertation research at one of the NCI-CCR collaborating institutes. In addition to experience in basic and translational research training opportunities, the program includes additional training in pathology.  Successful completion of this program will lead to a Ph.D. degree and eligibility for certification as a specialist in veterinary pathology. 

Pathology Training Course Curriculum
Partnership university departments and graduate committees define required didactic graduate courses and initial diagnostic pathology training experiences (see additional information section below). The NCI phase of the program begins with a transitional comprehensive, interdisciplinary six-month training curriculum focused on comparative and molecular pathology. This connecting centerpiece of the program draws upon the strengths of the many board-certified veterinary pathologists at the NIH, the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-approved anatomic pathology training program for physicians ongoing in the NCI Laboratory of Pathology, and the research technologies core laboratories program within the NCI-CCR and other institutes.

Application: Candidate veterinarians must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents, and have less than five years postdoctoral experience.  Fellowships begin July 1 with up to five years of support.  Prospective Graduate Scholars in Molecular Pathology and Molecular Pathology Graduate Fellows shall apply for acceptance to the Graduate Partnerships Program at http://gpp.nih.gov, and separately and individually to each University Partner Graduate School the student wishes to be considered by for graduate admission and pathology training. To be admitted to the program, students must be accepted by both the NIH and a partnership university graduate school.

Note: Candidates should complete the GPP Application for Prospective Ph.D. Graduate Students. Within the cover letter, applicants must state whether or not they have a preference, or ordered priority, among the various NIH sponsors for training support.  Partnership directors are available for advice regarding this (see links below). 

Funding for students includes support for tuition and fees, stipend, and health insurance. NCI will determine other necessary expenditures as appropriate for a program. Opportunities for university faculty members to engage in collaborative research interactions with CCR scientists will be fostered whenever scientifically rational.