Meharry Medical College Welcomes You

1. Meharry Medical College Welcomes You

2. “How do we assure Pharmacology’s continuing contributions to the Biomedical Enterprise?” Lee E. Limbird, Ph.D. Vice President for Research Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences Meharry Medical College

3. Which brings me to the revised theme of my talk: “Lifting the Bell Jar” Developing Innovative Pharmacology Training Programs to assuresociety benefits from Pharmacology’s unique insights now and in the future !! Lee E. Limbird, Ph.D. Vice President for Research Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences Meharry Medical College

4. The need for Pharmacology to grow and evolve articulated in Marlene Cohen’s Opening Letter as President of ASPET • Pharmacology must grow and evolve, leading the way as: • national needs and priorities change • genomics & proteomics research expands • medical therapy embraces stem cell tools • training demands evolve Pharmacologist 44: 4-5, 2002.

5. The landscape that some see as threats to Pharmacology Training Programs - decrease in departments with Pharmacology in the title - increase in multi-disciplinary entry programs - reduces direct recruiting to pharmacology

6. How do we change these “threats” into opportunities??? What if we just start with the basics?

7. What IS Pharmacology? • action of chemical agents on living organisms—drugs, endogenous compounds, toxins • includes pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics What if we created modules of key content that would be accessible to students in multiple programs?

8. putting our discipline under a belljar H A P R L C Y O A M G O “Is that REAL pharmacology?” In safeguarding the discipline, some may be suffocating it…

9. What does the postgenomic era offer… and why must pharmacology be there?! Enjoying a window of time for unbiased data gathering • gene expression profiling (microarrays; chips) • during development • in diseased vs. healthy cells and tissue • in juxtaposed, differentiated cells (e.g. CNS) • protein expression profiling • particularly powerful in the CNS, PNS But, will all these data turn into usable knowledge?

10. P H A R M A C Y O G L O Lifting the Bell Jar! Helping scientists in ALL disciplines move their discoveries to therapeutically useful interventions

11. Scientists as Creators Tenses past present future “translational” Research examples e.g. epidemiology basic e.g.“bench to bedside” “bench to classroom” Linear: basic translational clinical Linked: In biomedical research, creativity is focused on different “tenses” of scientific endeavor: Models of relationships among these research “tenses” :

12. Accelerated Discovery! This means, in a single career, may participate in basic, translational, clinical research • trainees and investigators must establish ways • to continually learn • Pharmacology training programs must establish • ways to teach the fundamentals to scientists • throughout their careers!!!

13. Lifting the Bell Jar embracing the intrinsic interdisciplinary nature of pharmacology signal transduction physiology chemistry biochemistry informatics cell biology drug disposition developmental biology drug action structural biology morphology Y P G H O A L R O M A C pharmacology’s trademark since it’s origin with John Jacob Abel

14. Despite our emphasis on pharmacological principles, training programs must address the more fundamental “fundamentals”, as well : Characteristics of a successful training program: • liberate trainees from the fear of failure • show trainees how to learn on your own for the rest of your life

15. What is the reason for research? New knowledge, the pursuit of truth… This should be the mission of all investigators !!

16. Helping your students focus the mission of new knowledge & the pursuit of truth means that: • Their hypotheses can be wrong but their research program can still be a success • Sharing ideas, reagents, technologies, and fostering collaboration accelerates the process • Publications are essential !!!!

17. Other “fundamentals” of training programs include our need to : Foster passion Encourage FOCUS Help students identify an important problem they are impatient to solve Mentors, as role models, must share from the “well” filled throughout their career

18. fragmentation focus Some advice for trainees is relevant thoughout their career Understanding “balance”

19. Academic Career Development: Helping students recognize that there are “seasons” in our lives • Training • Early - independent • Mid-career—tenure achieved or leadership role in industry • Senior career phase

20. $ DATA are theCURRENCY While students are training,find ways to encourage them to learn all they can: • doctoral • scholarly content • conceptual frameworks • experimental strategies • postdoctoral • focus on solving a problem • develop a “story”

21. Help students and young faculty you mentor understand early career needs • to be temporarily selfish will allow altruism later, with something worthwhile to share • establish laboratory • establish lab culture • journal clubs; data clubs • - focus, focus, focus… • get as much critical input as possible on • data, papers, proposals • resist premature service on: • committees, local or national • journal editorial boards

22. Giving Back: The Mid-Career Transition • accept national/local responsibilities • serve where your insights  unique contribution • be bold & have fun • collaborations • writing books • lead multi-investigator research programs • but…remember…

23. How do we help our trainees sustain the JOY of research? • “eureka” moments, even for Nobelists, are too infrequent • identify vicarious “points” of joy

24. To sustain JOY between Eurekas, Encourage students to: • Read Widely • fosters use of novel strategies • breeds excitement about others’ discoveries to bridge JOY gaps between your own eurekas • Establish a reading discipline • set goal of # papers/week • set time—inviolate • engage in journal clubs

25. …and when the joy of bench research is no longer there… • Remember… Pharmacologists can serve • society in other ways: • journalists • teachers • technology transfer • development & fundraising • liaisons with policy makers • research infrastructure leadership • novelists/movie producers

26. Summary…of Sorts • - Define CORE content • deliver in short modules – usable for training of investigators in multiple disciplines at multiple career stages - Focus on developing those traits/habits that will serve trainees for a lifetime - Help trainees understand the “seasons” of a professional life, and how to enjoy and immerse themselves in each one

27. Care more than others think wise. Risk more than others think safe. Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible. Words I try to live by:

28. Acknowledgments Gratitude for so many opportunities… • To learn: • Ted Williams—College of Wooster • Bob Lefkowitz—postdoctoral mentor at Duke • Joel Hardman—Chair and mentor at Vanderbilt • To teach (and to learn): • My many students and postdoctoral fellows • To serve: • ASPET • To be funded: • National Institutes of Health • American Heart Association • ASPET • NARSAD • To be inspired: • The ever-expanding scientific literature

29. Welcome to the National Meeting of Directors of Graduate Studies in Pharmacology Reception

30. H O P R L O C Y A M A G