UB, partners receive $1.5 million NIH grant for infectious disease training program

UB and partners have received a $1.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to lead the training of 10 Jamaican scientists in virology research.

The five-year award, from NIH’s Fogarty International Center, is a continuation of funding for the Global Infectious Diseases Research Training Program, a research collaboration between the UB Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences, the University of the West Indies (UWI), SUNY Upstate Medical University and Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness.

UB and partners will use the new funding to train predoctoral and postdoctoral scientists, focusing on emerging and chronic viral infections in Jamaica and the Caribbean region, says the project’s director and principal investigator Gene D. Morse, SUNY Distinguished Professor, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“Our ability to successfully compete for this highly competitive award is directly related to our goal of promoting team science in research mentoring, UB and UWI’s designation as Global Virus Network Centers of Excellence, and the participation of the SUNY Global Health Institute,” says Morse, who directs UB’s Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences.

Additional project leaders include:

• Principal Investigator: John Lindo, professor of parasite epidemiology, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.
• Co-investigators: Katie B. Anderson, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Onondaga County health commissioner, and Joshua Anzinger, senior lecturer, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

Other collaborators include:

• William Lee, research scientist and director of the diagnostic immunology laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health; Alan Landay, professor, Department of Immunity and Emerging Pathogens, Rush University; and Qing Ma, UB associate professor of pharmacy practice. All will provide expertise in virology, immunology and pharmacology in their respective training areas and work with other faculty mentors on research training projects for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees.
• Christine Carrington, professor and head of preclinical sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, and Jack DeHovitz, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor of infectious diseases, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. They will serve as co-chairs of the program’s training advisory committee.

The Global Infectious Diseases Research Training Program is part of the larger SUNY-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development and the SUNY-UWI Health Research Consortium.

The center is working to establish the Jamaica Center for Infectious Diseases Research, a collaboration among SUNY, UWI and the Jamaica Ministry of Health. The partnership grew from an earlier memorandum of understanding between UB; the University of West Indies, Mona Campus; and the Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“This approach has led to the training of the next generation of scientists at UWI and increased our ability to compete for external research funding,” says Lindo.

Gary Pollack, dean of the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, praised the collaborative nature of the projects.

“The strategy of working across decanal units and universities to build a highly motivated group of research mentors, combined with strong program leadership, creates a winning scenario for NIH applications,” he says.