UNC-Duke Collaborative Clinical Pharmacology Postdoctoral Training Program

ABSTRACT
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in collaboration with Duke University has a successful
T32 postdoctoral training program in clinical pharmacology that builds on our exceptional research
environment with world-class programs in drug discovery, drug development, pharmacokinetics/
pharmacodynamics, pediatric clinical pharmacology, and drug safety. The demand for clinical pharmacologists
is high, and we have an outstanding track record of training clinician-scientists to meet the growing workforce
needs in this field. We have an excellent and diverse applicant pool with many more qualified applicants than
funded positions. This renewal application (Years 11-15) describes our 2-year training program (4 new
trainees/year), which offers strong leadership, internationally-recognized mentors from multiple disciplines who
are actively involved in clinical pharmacology, a wide-array of cutting edge technologies and resources, and a
uniquely collaborative environment with strong institutional support. The national applicant pool for this
program is derived primarily from MDs in medical specialty training programs seeking a career path in clinical
pharmacology, and also from PharmDs in advanced clinical/translational research training. Trainees, guided by
individualized development plans and mentoring teams, complete clinical pharmacology coursework and
engage in program-specific activities to gain expertise in all aspects of contemporary clinical pharmacology
research in preparation for successful academic, regulatory or industrial careers as leaders and mentors to
future generations of clinical pharmacologists. Experienced faculty mentors are chosen based on their
research productivity in at least one of four focus areas that form the core of this training program: Drug
Disposition and Action; Quantitative Pharmacology/Pharmacometrics & Clinical Trial Design; Individualized
Therapy; Drug-induced Organ Toxicity. New components of this training program include an increased focus
on precision dosing, use of real-world data, and pharmacometrics; pilot programs to expand clinical
pharmacology training in specialty and innovative areas; enhanced professional development opportunities;
and expansion of collaborations with other T32 programs. A unique feature of this training program continues
to be our focus on understudied areas in clinical pharmacology, specifically pediatrics and drug safety. The
keen interest in clinical pharmacology within our trainee pool, the unparalleled investment in clinical
pharmacology research resources at UNC and Duke, the intellectually-rich biomedical science environment of
Research Triangle Park, and our longstanding excellent research and training infrastructure combine to create
a moment of unsurpassed opportunity for training in clinical pharmacology.

Grant Number: 5T32GM086330-15
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: KIM BROUWER