Program Support

Programmatic support

There are several programmatic efforts that support the research and training goals of the Immunology Program and the Immunology Training Grant.

Several Training Grants including the Immunology TG
The Microbiology & Immunology (M&I) department provides support for faculty, postdocs, and students to attend the immunology program retreat. This retreat is conducted in collaboration with the Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC), Thayer School of Engineering, the Department of Medicine and the Molecular Pathogenesis Program to promote collaboration between Immunology Program members and other active research programs.
The NCCC and M&I department hired Dr. Chris Dant to assist faculty, postdocs, and students with professional development skills, including research grants, manuscript writing, and presentation skills.
The COBRE Immunology grant provides mentoring and training for how to use core facilities and their emerging high-tech instruments that modern trainees need to be competitive in their future research careers.
Dartmouth College provides support for Immunology Program faculty to attend the ABRCMS and SACNAS conferences, which focus on engaging minority students and encouraging them to choose careers in science.
The Dartmouth Ethics Institute at Dartmouth College has developed a training program in the responsible conduct of research for all graduate students and has trained Immunology Program faculty to lead these discussions.
The M&I department provides support for the Immunology Journal Club, the Immunology Seminar Series, the HIV seminars and journal clubs, and the Microbiology & Immunology department seminar series. Immunology Program students and postdocs are active members in these activities.

Postdoc support

Postdocs and fellows have unique needs as they proceed in their training. There is specific support for their career success.

Dartmouth College provides support for the Dartmouth College Postdoctoral Association which was started by one of our postdocs and another is currently on the directing board.
Dr. Chris Dant has developed a special career development program that focuses on postdocs and their needs as they transition from mentored positions to their own independent positions in academics, industry, or government. The program consists career advice, and training in writing NIH grant applications, research papers and preparing oral presentations.
The M&I department provides additional support (if needed) for family medical insurance for postdocs so that this will not be an impediment for anyone pursuing Immunology Training Grant-sponsored training.
Dr. Jake Reder, Ph.D. is head of innovative ventures and provides information and opportunities for postdocs to participate in commercialization of research findings.
The COBRE program offers grants to support postdoctoral pilot projects that allows postdoctoral researchers to develop their own independent projects. This can facilitate their transition to developing an independent research program as they apply for faculty positions.

Graduate student support

The Immunology Program receives substantial institutional support for graduate students.

Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) and Dartmouth College provide full stipends for first year students in MCB and PEMM graduate programs that are the source of graduate students for research training in ITG faculty labs.
DMS provides support for the MD/PhD program, which is another pool of talented students that are recruited to the Immunology Program research groups.
Dartmouth College and DMS provide the financial support for the recruitment of graduate students from around the U.S. This includes salary support for the administrative assistants for the MCB and PEMM graduate programs, program expenses, and the costs of two recruitment weekends. At these weekends, prospective students travel to Dartmouth from various points around the U.S. and Puerto Rico to interview and interact with students and faculty including those of the Immunology program.
Dartmouth College provides support for graduate students throughout their career with the graduate student office.
DMS supports an MCB alumni network where former MCB graduate students return to campus to describe their career paths and experiences for current students and provide valuable advice on positions in academics, industry, biotech, and other scientific careers.

Undergraduate student support

A unique and vibrant undergraduate experience has always been central to the mission of Dartmouth College. The Immunology Program faculty support this mission and help bring new talented students into scientific research careers.

Dartmouth College provides support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for undergraduate research experiences in science, including in Immunology Program labs.
DMS and the Microbiology and Immunology Department provide support for the Dartmouth SURF program, which brings talented undergraduates to Dartmouth for the summer for research and professional training. This program is focused on inspiring talented undergraduates, especially those from under-represented minority backgrounds, to pursue careers in scientific research. Typically six to nine students come to Dartmouth each summer for this research experience. Dr. George O'Toole, an Immunology Program faculty member, started this program in 2003, and he now co-directs this program with Dr. Eric Schaller.
Dartmouth College provides support for the Women in Science Program (WISP) with a mission to create a learning environment where women can thrive in science, engineering and mathematics. This program identifies and encourages scientific research opportunities for undergraduates, and several ITG faculty participate in this program. The WISP program also provides workshops and advice on research careers, graduate school, and resume and interviewing skills.