The Program

The Program in Reproductive Biology & Development recruits, funds stipends, and oversees training for Postdoctoral fellows working in laboratories of the Center for Reproductive Sciences at KUMC. The objective of the program is to bring young scientists into the Center for Reproductive Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center which currently includes 19 faculty and 58 additional staff. The training program is funded by NIH and can provide up to three years of support for scientists seeking research training in the area of Reproductive Biology and Developmental Biology. Stipends are supplemented by institutional funds as outlined on the home page. Priority is given to applicants who are just beginning their postdoctoral training or who are changing research fields. Trainees usually select an advisor from the list of participating laboratories at the time of application. Training is primarily geared toward laboratory research, however considerable importance is also placed on writing and presentation skills. Trainees are required to write an individual grant application with the help of their advisor, and to present their research at national scientific meetings.

History: The program has been in existence for at least 5 years and has recently received funding for another 5 years. To date, 8 trainees have participated in the program, 87% of whom have gone on to obtain individual postdoctoral fellowships from NIH or private foundations. Three applicants have now accepted faculty positions at excellent academic institutions. Other trainees are still active in the Center for Reproductive Sciences or are continuing postdoctoral training at other institutions.

Faculty: The Training Program consists of ten laboratories including faculty from the Departments of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Biochemistrry & Molecular Biology, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine. Each member of his highly interactive group directs an NIH-funded laboratory, collectively representing over $3,250,000 in annual funding.

The Medical Center: The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) is located in Kansas City Kansas and includes the University of Kansas Medical School and KUMC Hospital. The research facilities are state of the art and include a transgenic facility, biotechnology support facility, confocal imaging facility and electron microscopy center. The Center for Reproductive Sciences has additional core facilities including an Imaging Core, Monoclonal Antibody Core and a DNA sequencing core.