UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Physiological Adaptations to Stress (PAS) graduate training program received renewed funding of $2.75 million from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). These funds will support more than 33 predoctoral graduate students over the next five years.
“To be funded for a third time with an increase in the numbers of students supported is exciting and an acknowledgement of an outstanding training record,” said Donna Korzick, professor of physiology and kinesiology and director of graduate training initiatives for the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
The primary mission of the PAS training program is to provide predoctoral trainees with interdisciplinary research training and education in physiological stress adaptation with a special emphasis on biomedical career readiness. PAS has been continually funded since 2014, and as its centerpiece, includes training in business and entrepreneurship for graduate students in the life sciences.
Key aspects of the new PAS program include using the "One Health" interdisciplinary framework as a lens for solving human health and disease problems, better integration of entrepreneurial principles to translate research discoveries into solutions, and familiarity with opportunities and challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence, which will prepare trainees for the 21st century biomedical workforce. Flexible elective interest tracks and greater emphasis on graduate student wellness and resilience will also enhance the professional development and retention of PAS trainees.
“Emerging careers in the biomedical sciences require a discovery mindset, entrepreneurial skills and the ability to work collaboratively in teams,” Korzick said. “The ability of our trainees to complete coursework on team dynamics in the Smeal College of Business and entrepreneurship training have been game changers for our trainees.”
Consistent with the mission of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the PAS program is interdisciplinary, supporting predoctoral trainees from several intercollege graduate degree programs, including integrative and biomedical physiology; molecular, cellular and integrative biosciences; and departmental programs in biomedical engineering; biochemistry, microbiology and molecular biology; and pathobiology.
“I am delighted that the innovative graduate training program developed by Dr. Korzick and her team has once again received national recognition in the form of this T32 [grant] renewal,” said Troy Ott, interim director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. “Not only has Donna effectively led the PAS team to continued success but she has played a large role in mentoring other principal investigator teams in successful T32 [grant] submissions in her role as director of graduate training initiatives. Dr. Korzick is committed to advancing graduate training at Penn State to be more student-centered, and her efforts are improving graduate training across the University.”
In addition to funding from the NIH, the PAS program receives support from the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research, the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Engineering, the College of Health and Human Development, the Eberly College of Science and Invent Penn State.
Co-directors of the program are Margherita Cantorna, distinguished professor of molecular immunology and nutrition, and Kevin Harvatine, professor of nutritional physiology.