Four students have joined the ICTR TL1 career development pre-doctoral training program funded by the NIH. They are Quinton Cotton, MSSA, Ross Luethcke, David Rutkowski, and Brian Walczak, DO.
The TL1 program has six trainees as part of the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award. They represent the Departments of Medical Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, Medicine (Geriatrics and Infectious Disease), Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, and Population Health Sciences (Epidemiology). The other current trainees are Anna Barker and Colin Grove.
Cotton will conduct research on mechanisms that influence the development, implementation and dissemination of best practices that lead to improved health outcomes among racial and ethnic populations. He will be a full time student in the PhD CI program while working with SMPH programs to enhance diversity efforts. Cotton formerly worked in the Wisconsin Partnership Program as part of the Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families project.
Luethcke is earning a dual DVM/PhD degree in Comparative Biomedical Science with a focus on Clinical Translational Science (PhD CTS). His translational research examines the interactions between genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase enzymes and exposure to environmental toxins in the development of canine bladder cancers.
Rutkowski is working towards a PhD in Mechanical Engineering with the PhD CTS. He will apply 4D flow MRI, computational fluid dynamics simulations, and in vitro model studies to develop a patient-specific surgical planning method that will provide surgeons with information about post-surgery hemodynamics after Living Donor Liver Transplant, and increase donor safety.
Walczak, a clinical instructor in the Department of Orthopedics and rehabilitation, has entered the PhD CI program. He will use nanotechnology and stem cell technologies to develop novel improvements in orthopedic surgery. Walczak’s background includes degrees in physical therapy and medicine.
| Trainee | Mentor | |
| Quinton Cotton, MSSA (PhD CI) |
Amy Kind, MD, PhD Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics), SMPH |
|
| Ross Luethcke (PhDCTS) |
Lauren Trepanier, DVM, PhD Professor of Medical Science, SVM |
|
| David Rutkowski (PhDCTS) |
Alejandro Roldán-Alzate, PhD Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, COE |
|
| Brian Walczak, DO (PhD CI) |
Wan-Ju Li, PhD Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, COE, and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, SMPH |
Who can be a TL1 trainee?
All trainees are students earning a PhD in one of the ICTR Graduate Programs. Graduate programs administered by ICTR include the MS in Clinical Investigation, the PhD in Clinical Investigation (PhD CI), and the PhD in Clinical Translational Science (PhDCTS), formerly the PhD minor in Clinical Investigation.
Trainees earn a stipend, health insurance, tuition and fees, and a travel allowance. They participate in biennial mentor meetings attended by ICTR leadership, and monthly writing workshops.
More information about the application process and the Feb 1 deadline is available online. The 2017 RFA was released Dec 1, 2016.