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This program provides support
for postdoctoral and predoctoral training in experimental pathology of
cellular lesions and diseases produced by chemical and physical hazards
of the environment (Environmental Pathology). We provide qualified
and highly motivated individuals with the intellectual climate and the
resources to train as scientists in this field. The ultimate goal
of this program is to help our trainees develop into successful independent
investigators who study the mechanisms of environmentally induced disease.
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Experimental pathology encompasses
the laboratory investigation of the cause and mechanisms of development
of disease. It represents the merger of classical morphological methods
of cell and tissue analysis with modern techniques of cellular and molecular
biology. A distinctive aspect of experimental pathology is the use
of molecular biology methods to study the interaction of etiologic agents
and cellular macromolecules, and the application of this information to
the analysis of the mechanisms of disease development at tissue, organ
and whole animal levels. Experimental pathologists must have a broad
background in the basic biomedical sciences combined with a detailed understanding
of some aspects of the molecular biology of eukaryotic cells. The
experimental pathologist must be acquainted with both the language and
methods of analysis of the clinician, who deals with disease at the level
of the whole organism, and of the laboratory scientist, who understands
the underlying scientific basis of cellular function. Formal training
in laboratory research is required to educate experimental pathologists
in research design and interpretation and in the technology to carry out
research projects. Such training must be combined with a sound understanding
of the tissue and organ expressions of disease. Scientists who possess
such expertise are highly valued in research, especially those that undertake
studies on the mechanisms by which chemicals and cellular macromolecules
interact to produce disease. This is the essence of environmental
pathology.
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The Environmental Pathology
Training Program in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
at the University of North Carolina has been supported by a grant from
the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences since 1975.
During this period of support, the Program has trained predoctoral students
and postdoctoral fellows who have taken jobs in academic institutions,
government laboratories, and industry. The Program has faculty
members from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, as
well as several other departments in the UNC School of Medicine, who are
focused in strong research programs, and has adjunct faculty with related
interests from research institutions located in the nearby Research Triangle
Park.
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