Recent threats of worldwide disease pandemics, bioterrorism, and natural disasters underscore the critical importance of public health preparedness to the safety and security of the United States. With strategic investments, The Ohio State University (OSU) is developing a world class comprehensive interdisciplinary program in infectious diseases, biodefense, and public health preparedness. The program in Public Health Preparedness for Infectious Diseases (PHPID) includes six colleges (Colleges of Medicine; Public Health; Veterinary Medicine; Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Pharmacy; and Biological Sciences) providing leadership in scientific discoveries and training of health professionals that will prevent or mitigate the public health impact of future catastrophic events. The PHPID is seeking applications for a new Ph.D. graduate fellowship program.

The mission of the PHPID is to protect public health by minimizing animal to human, environmental, and food borne infectious disease threats through innovative interdisciplinary research. This will be achieved through a program of research excellence that is broad in scope encompassing the full range of relevant sciences from the laboratory bench to the community. We embrace the interdisciplinary nature of the program recognizing that breakthroughs will likely emerge at the interface of scientific disciplines. Accordingly, this program draws strength from both the diversity of academic programs that underlie it, as well as a unifying focus and direction related to public health preparedness and infectious diseases.

The goals of the PHPID are to:

• Translate scientific discoveries into clinical applications e.g. new diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines for infectious diseases;
• Detect the presence of emerging infectious diseases within communities, the underlying mode of transmission, and strategies for prevention, control and treatment;
• Prevent human infection from antibiotic resistant zoonotic (animal to human) micro-organisms through an understanding of livestock immune systems – particularly the gastrointestinal tract – with an aim to reduce use of antibiotics in animals;
• Address food safety issues during food production, processing, transport, storage, retail, or consumer use, with an aim to decrease infections and associated fatalities caused by food-borne illness; and
• Train professionals in veterinary public health and infectious diseases public health preparedness.

The Fellowship has been created to support Ph.D. graduate students from the laboratories of participating PHPID faculty. Two separate fellowships will be awarded annually through a competitive application process (application attached). Graduate students for this program are expected to have successfully completed their first year of doctoral coursework.

The Fellowship will provide awards to each of two post-candidacy doctoral students. Each Fellowship can be extended for up to a maximum of 1 additional year. All applicants must meet all standard Graduate School eligibility criteria to be considered. Fellowship awardees will be reviewed annually by a committee of PHPID faculty to assess progress and eligibility for continued support.

PHPID Graduate Fellowship Committee and Application Process:

Applications are are submitted in the Spring/Summer and Fellowship funds will be available starting in the subsequent Fall Quarter of each year. Annual reviews of funded PHPID Fellows will occur in the subsequent Spring/Summer Quarter.

All application, annual reviews of fellows, ranking of applications, and governance of the PHPID Graduate Fellowship Program will be conducted by a PHPID Graduate Fellowship Selection Committee consisting of one PHPID faculty member from each of the six participating colleges such that alignment of the program with the PHPID mission and goals is maintained.

The PHPID Graduate Fellowship Committee will establish fellowship award criteria based on rigorous quality factors and apply these principles in the selection of awardees.

Rules for Submittal:

• The deadline is July 3, 2009, at 5PM eastern time.
• No proposals, nor revisions, will be accepted after 5:00 p.m. July 3, 2009.

Apply for the 2009 Graduate Fellowship