Integrated Training Program in Vaccinology (ITP-Vax)

PROJECT SUMMARY Vaccination has had a profound impact on human health and has eradicated or almost eradicated once feared diseases such as smallpox and polio and substantially decreased morbidity and mortality due to pneumococcus, measles and pertussis amongst many others. The utility and cost effectiveness of vaccination has been shown multiple times and most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 has had a devastating effect on humankind causing significant morbidity and mortality as well as major disruptions to the economy, education, the supply chain and mental health. However, the extremely rapid development and deployment of multiple COVID-19 vaccines has allowed society to return to a semblance of normality. These vaccines were developed because of the large amount of money invested by governments to de-risk development and the many dedicated vaccinologists (laboratory personnel, clinical trialists, nurses, regulatory affairs specialists, statisticians etc. in academia, government and industry) who were committed to working on a common goal. Additionally, novel vaccine platforms had been in development for many years so the knowledge about how these platforms could be harnessed for COVID-19 was already present. In order to be ready for the next pandemic, we need to ensure that there are sufficient individuals entering and staying in the field of vaccinology so that they can develop new platforms, evaluate and dissect immune responses, perform clinical trials and have a broad understanding of the entire vaccine development process. The overarching goal of the Integrated Training Program in Vaccinology (ITP-Vax) is to encourage more trainees to join the field of vaccinology, particularly under-represented minorities (URM), and to enable our existing outstanding early-career vaccinologists to excel in mentorship and to become fully independent. To achieve this goal, we propose the following aims: Aim 1) To provide training in mentorship to early-career investigators and assist them on their path to independence in vaccinology, and Aim 2) To provide comprehensive training in vaccinology to post-baccalaureate or Master's level students who are intending to apply for a PhD or medical school in the next 1-2 years and who seek a career in vaccinology. We will also actively engage and recruit URM's for ITP-Vax so that we can ultimately improve diversity in vaccinology.