Vanya Quinones-Jenab - US grants

women's health; substance abuse related disorder; psychology; minority institution research support; hormones; nervous system; clinical research;

substance abuse related behavior; cocaine; gender difference; estrus; central nervous system; neuropharmacology; drug abuse; chordate locomotion; dopamine; dopamine receptor; pharmacokinetics; behavioral /social science research tag; microdialysis; laboratory rat;

neurotoxicology; cocaine; chordate locomotion; progesterone; catecholamines; hormone regulation /control mechanism; drug interactions; estrogens; behavioral habituation /sensitization; drug habituation; gender difference; neurochemistry; nucleus accumbens; mesencephalon; drug addiction; neurotransmitter receptor; neurotransmitter transport; behavioral /social science research tag; laboratory rat; polymerase chain reaction; high performance liquid chromatography; in situ hybridization; autoradiography; microdialysis;

DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Abstract): Hunter College proposes to continue our tradition of training students from under-represented populations in different areas of mental health related research. We propose to expand the objectives and success of our 19-year-old program, which has produced approximately 21 Ph.D., 2 M.D., and 25 student are currently registered in graduate school. Since 1981, 69% of students have been enrolled in graduate programs at some of the best universities in the country. Specifically, since our last competitive application, 1995, 100% of our graduating students are currently attending graduate school. The goals of our program are to incorporate training in different aspects of research including the development of competence in experimental design, data acquisition, statistical data processing, and written and oral presentations of student's research work. These objectives are accomplished through a course developed for the COR Scholars, research placement both within Hunter and other neighbor institutions, summer placements outside of New York City, a Weekly Seminar combining talks by invited speakers with intensive training in a variety of techniques (including statistical analysis, writing skills and computations), and a Scientific Writing course. These activities will be continued, expanded and improved. During this funding period, we are proposing to focus on self and outside evaluation of our Program. Specifically, three developmental activities are proposed: 1. Evaluations of the Program by enrolled and previous graduated COR trainees. These evaluations will be obtained via questionnaires administered every year. Evaluation by NIMH-COR trainees allows us to determine if the opportunities and training provided are adequate to their perceived needs. 2. Once a year, evaluations by an outside professional reviewer will be made. Specifically, at the end of the academic year, the outside reviewer will meet with students, administrative core, and steering committee to determine the success or failure of our activities. A written evaluation will be made and provided to the steering committee and Director. 3. Since our last competitive submission substantial effort has been made to update our records of the success of our former COR trainees. This effort will be continued and expanded.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): in the United States of America, 36% of cocaine users are women. Accumulating evidence suggests that there are sex differences in the behavioral response to cocaine, where overall, female rats display more hyperactivity and exaggerated behavioral responses to cocaine as well as develop a longer-lasting and more robust behavioral sensitization to cocaine than male rats. These observations suggest that a complex process that depends on a wide range of physiological, neuronal, and hormonal interactions mediate cocaine-induced effects. Although great advances have been made in understanding molecular and behavioral adaptations after cocaine administration, very little is known about physiological and behavioral effects of cocaine in females. Females have a complex endocrinological profile; where sex/gonadal steroids (estrogen and progesterone) regulate the female's neuronal activity, many reproductive behaviors, and the synthesis and secretion of several neurotransmitters (including the opioid, monoamergic, and glutamatergic systems), affect neural circuitry during development and adulthood and control reward and motivational feedback systems. There is accumulating evidence which suggests that estrogen and progesterone affect cocaine-induced behavioral alterations. Our hypothesis is that estrogen and progesterone will potentiate or inhibit the behavioral, neurochemical, endocrinological and molecular responses to cocaine via activation of membrane and genomic receptor mediated mechanisms. Moreover, each steroid receptor isomer (beta - and alpha -estrogen receptor as well as A- and B-progesterone receptors) will differentially induce or inhibit cocaine responses. And this, in turn, regulates sex differences in the behavioral and subjective effects of cocaine. To test this postulate we propose two aims: (1) To allow us to use transgenic receptor knockout mice to examine the contributions of the various receptors, we will first determine whether the behavioral responses of female mice to cocaine are modulated by circulating gonadal steroids as they are in female monkeys, rats and humans. We will then use receptor knockout mice to determine how these genetic mutations affect females' responses to cocaine and the ability of estrogen and progesterone to modulate these responses. 2) Using different periods of steroid administration, different steroid antagonists, and steroid analogs, which do not activate intracellular receptors, we will examine whether these hormones are acting through membrane or classic intracellular steroid receptors. This study has obvious clinical implications since women's responses to cocaine may be modified by stage of the menstrual cycle, the use of hormone-containing drugs such as birth control pills, or whether she is menopausal. Variation in endocrine status may affect critical measures such as the tendency to administer an overdose and the development of tolerance and sensitization to cocaine. This important clinical issue in females needs further investigation.

university

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Diverse racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities and/or having socially, economically, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds are underrepresented in neuroscience. Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) recognizes that increasing the number of highly qualified neuroscientists from these underrepresented populations is integral to our future as an academic and research institution. Hunter College aims to increase the number of well-trained, diverse neuroscientists. The overall goal of this application is to develop a neuroscience training program at Hunter that will encourage and prepare students from diverse backgrounds to enter into and succeed in PhD programs in the neurosciences. To achieve this goal, Hunter has developed a research-educational partnership with four outstanding T32-awarded universities-New York University, Brown University, University of Michigan, and Vanderbilt University. This partnership will expose 12 BP-ENDURE-trainee students per year to a research-intensive curriculum and an environment of excellence and active research. Moreover, because of the diversity of the proposed mentors, students will be exposed to a broad spectrum of researchers, including basic neuroscientists interested in central nervous system (CNS) issues and applied neuroscientists from the areas of clinical, social, health, developmental, and cognitive neuropsychology. To achieve our goals, the following aims are proposed: (1) To develop an outstanding group of undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds dedicated to neuroscience research;(2) To provide scientific skill and research experiences to our trainees through research placement with actively funded neuroscientists;(3) To develop academic development and curriculum enhancement activities rooted in the student's research activities;(4) To maintain an effective Administrative Core to support our students'needs and development. Our measurable objectives during the requested funding period include: (1) attain 85 to 90% acceptance of trainees to graduate school programs in neuroscience;(2) improvement of our students in quantitative skills and academic achievements as well as their (3) scientific writing and oral presentations. Outcome from evaluations of the Steering Committee, the external evaluator, and the Administrative Core will guide future modifications to our training initiatives. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York University, Brown University, University of Michigan, and Vanderbilt University recognize that increasing the number of highly qualified neuroscientists from diverse backgrounds is integral to their futures as academic and research institutions. A partnership between these institutions aims to develop a neuroscience training program that will prepare students from diverse backgrounds to enter into and succeed in PhD programs in the neurosciences.

The "Building an Integrated Identification, Engagement and Assessment Infrastructure for STEM Enrichment Programs at Hunter College" is an award with a vision that includes transforming how STEM enrichment programs are made available to students at CUNY Hunter College, facilitating faculty work in the area of student education within STEM enrichment programs and collaboration across programs, and leveraging the intellectual capital of current grant-funded programs. The goals of the project are to:

1. Identify students for recruitment into the STEM programs at a much earlier time and broaden participation;
2. Expand the paths for information about and application to the programs at critical educational junctures;
3. Reinvent the mentoring of students in the programs and their research placements to better integrate research and education; and
4. Assess our effectiveness and track our students to create an information loop that will feed back into each stage of the process from recruitment to post-baccalaureate.

The five NSF awards upon which the I3 project will build include:
1. Math and Science Partnership in New York City (0412413 to CUNY City University of New York);
2. The Catalyst Scholarship Program (0850021 to CUNY Hunter College)
3. The Noyce Teacher Academy Scholar Program (0833134 to CUNY Hunter College);
4. MIND Alliance for Minority Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (0833392 to CUNY Hunter College); and
5. New York City Louis Stokes Alliance Phase IV (0703449 to CUNY City College).

The project team proposed to achieve the four stated goals by creating a multifaceted model of institutional integration for CUNY Hunter College. This model includes a new administrative function in the Office of the Provost complementing a Science Advisory Board; a plan to bring together faculty and professional staff from Student Services, Admissions, Institutional Research, Assessment, and Institutional Technology; a plan to implement new computer software technology for improved communication across the student, faculty and administrative communities; and a plan to create a sustainable infrastructure for the science programs which can accommodate growth and continued innovation. This work will focus on three primary areas: Student recruitment and identification, student engagement, and the creation of an information infrastructure for student tracking, reporting and assessment.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hunter College is a long existing urban university with a history of educating populations whose access to higher education has been historically limited. For decades, over 60% of Hunter College undergraduates have been underserved students and currently about 75% of our students are women. Throughout the years, we have demonstrated a strong commitment to educate our unique population of students, with a full range of academic programs, from undergraduate classes to doctoral dissertation research through the CUNY's Graduate Center. Moreover, the Department of Psychology has a core of researchers focused on drugs of abuse. NIDA recognized our didactic and scientific potential and awarded a MIDARP grant to Hunter in 1999. The goals of that grant were to develop the careers of junior faculty already involved in drug abuse research, engage a senior faculty member for the first time in drug abuse research, involve undergraduate and graduate students in drug abuse research, and improve the research infrastructure at the College. All goals were met and exceeded. The two junior faculty, both minority scholars, have developed their research programs and are becoming recognized as experts in their fields;our senior Distinguished Professor is now deeply involved in drug abuse research and has served as a consultant to NIDA. Undergraduate and graduate students have moved into top-notch Ph.D. programs and to postdoctoral fellowships in distinguished laboratories. We have improved facilities, obtained major equipment grants, and are in the process of expanding and updating our animal facility. This renewal application proposes to move the MIDARP program to the next stage: obtain independent NIH funding for our MIDARP faculty, include new faculty whose areas of interest include biobehavioral and psychosocial research allowing us to expand our success with student mentoring to include new cadres of students, and continue our efforts to improve research infrastructure and publicize drug abuse research. We do so with a highly experienced, well-funded, and successful Program Director who has substantial mentoring experience and is committed fully to the goals of MIDARP, and with well thought out plans for achieving these goals. We propose mechanisms for preparing NIH R01 applications, evaluating new projects from junior faculty, recruiting new students, including University Scholars who are undergraduates enrolled in the new CUNY Honors program, preparing those students to be highly competitive for the best Ph.D. programs in the Country, and continuing to obtain funding to improve our infrastructure.

Diverse racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities and/or socially, economically, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds are underrepresented in the field of science, including areas related to drug abuse and addiction research. Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) recognizes that increasing the number of highly qualified scientists in drug abuse and addiction research from these diverse populations is integral to our future growth as an academic and research institution. Our interest in continuing the current success of the DIDARP Program at Hunter emerged from the natural intersection of current DIDARP faculty and new faculty research initiatives as well as the desire of other faculty and students from diverse populations to enter the field of drug abuse research. During this funding cycle, our goal is to expand our drug abuse research infrastructure, solidify our training program, and build on our past successes to further develop our research group into a translational center to understand the contributions of male and female sex in drug abuse and addiction. We have identified specific initiatives for the next 5 years which are built on present research strengths but will expand our scope by means of a plan to develop a comprehensive research and training program that will enhance Hunter's drug abuse research infrastructure. Our goals are to (1) encourage students from diverse populations to pursue drug abuse research careers by providing them with educational enrichment and research experience, (2) provide participating faculty from diverse groups support for their research initiatives and other professional developmental activities, and (3) strengthen the underlying institutional infrastructure and development needed to support drug abuse research.

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Diverse racial and ethnic groups, as well as individuals with disabilities and/or having socially, economically, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds are underrepresented in neuroscience. Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and New York University (NYU) recognize that increasing the number of highly qualified neuroscientists from these underrepresented populations is integral to our future as academic and research institutions. Hunter College and NYU aim to increase the number of well-trained, diverse neuroscientists. BP-ENDURE at Hunter and NYU proposes to capitalize on and expand on the objectives and success of our first 5 years of BP-ENDURE funding, which has produced 15 program graduates in the program's first 4 years who have applied to and been offered admission to graduate school. Importantly, 100% of BP-ENDURE graduates from Hunter and NYU who have applied to doctoral programs were accepted. Some are at the best universities in the country, such as Harvard, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, Brown, and Yale. The overall goal of this application is to develop a neuroscience training program at Hunter that will encourage and prepare students from diverse backgrounds to enter into and succeed in neuroscience PhD programs. To achieve this goal, Hunter College has developed a research-educational partnership with four outstanding T32-awarded universities-New York University, Brown University, University of Michigan, and Vanderbilt University. This partnership will expose 12 BP-ENDURE-trainee students per year to a research-intensive curriculum and an environment of excellence and active research. Moreover, because of the diversity of the proposed mentors, students will be exposed to a broad spectrum of researchers, including basic neuroscientists interested in central nervous system (CNS) issues and applied neuroscientists from the areas of clinical, social, health, developmental, computational, and cognitive neuropsychology. During this funding period, four developmental activities are proposed: (1) To develop an outstanding group of undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds dedicated to neuroscience research; (2) To provide scientific skills and research experiences to our trainees through research placement with actively funded neuroscientists in three different university settings, so as to expose students to laboratories that differ in scale, hierarchically, stylisticaly, and geographically; (3) To develop academic development and curriculum enhancement activities rooted in the student's research activities; and (4) To maintain an effective Administrative Core to support our students' needs and development. Our measurable objectives during the requested funding period include: (1) attaining 85 to 90% acceptance of trainees to graduate school programs in neuroscience; (2) improving our students' quantitative skills and academic achievements, as well as their (3) scientific writing (of research and grants) and oral presentation skills. Outcome from evaluations of the Steering Committee, the external evaluator, and the Administrative Core will guide future modifications to our training initiatives.