PRAT Fact Sheet - Attachment 6

Pharmacology Research Associate (PRAT) Program

Articles about PRAT

• Synthetic Protein Eases Arthritis Symptoms in Mice
  A PRAT fellow was part of a team that showed that a lab-made version of a human protein relieves arthritis symptoms in mice and could be the basis for a new arthritis drug.
  NIH News, October 3, 2005

• NIDCR’s Swisher Honored
  NIH Record, December 9, 2003
   

• Seven Complete Pharmacology Fellowships
  NIH Record, November 11, 2003
   

• Crossing Paths on the Road to Pharmacology: PRAT Fellows Mix, Mingle, and Move On
  The NIH Catalyst, November-December 2002
   

• In a Class of Their Own: PRATs Are Tomorrow's Leaders in Pharmacology
  NIH Record, December 10, 2002

Program

The PRAT Program is a competitive postdoctoral fellowship program to pursue research in one of the laboratories of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  It is intended for individuals with backgrounds in the basic or clinical sciences who wish to obtain advanced experience in an area of pharmacology, or for those with a pharmacology background to gain experience in new fields.

Research

Research opportunities in pharmacology are broadly defined and can include, for example, molecular pharmacology, biochemistry, signal transduction mechanisms, drug metabolism, immunopharmacology, chemistry and drug design, endocrinology, cell biology, structural biology, neuroscience, gene therapy, or clinical pharmacology.  

Applicants

Applicants must have received a Ph.D. or a professional degree (M.D., D.D.S, D.O., D.V.M., or Pharm.D.) in a basic or clinical science within the last five years, and they must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.   Applicants may apply prior to coming to NIH or FDA, or they may have started postdoctoral research at NIH or FDA within the 12-month period prior to the application receipt deadline.

Preceptors

Applicants select a preceptor in advance.  Preceptors are scientists at the NIH or FDA who have an interest in training fellows through this program, and who will indicate their commitment through formal submission of their credentials at the time of application.  Eligible preceptors and descriptions of their research are available at the NIH world wide web site http://www.training.nih.gov/postdoctoral/search.asp and then search the NIH CRISP database.

Application

The application process involves submission of the completed PRAT application form, which includes a brief research plan and short statement of relevance to pharmacology, the signed preceptor selection form, letters of recommendation, official graduate and undergraduate transcripts, and curricula vitae for both the applicant and the preceptor.

Please read the Privacy Notice Act before downloading these documents. 
NOTE: The following documents require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

• PRAT Application Instructions

• PRAT Application Part 1

• PRAT Application - Part 2

• PRAT Application - Part 3

Location

Most research facilities are located in a beautiful, campus-like setting in Bethesda, Maryland.  Other research facilities are located in Baltimore, Maryland; Frederick, Maryland; and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Appointment

Appointments are made at competitive salary levels commensurate with other fellowship opportunities at the NIH.  In addition, there is a monthly supplies allowance and an annual travel allowance.  Individuals with professional degrees are eligible to become commissioned officers in the Public Health Service.

Timetable

December 17	completed applications due
February - April	review of applications
May	notification of candidates
September - October	PRAT fellowships begin*

* PRAT Fellowships are three-year appointments beginning in Fall of each year; however, earlier start dates though other mechanisms may be negotiated individually by the fellow with the preceptor and the host laboratory.

For further information, or for an application kit, contact:

PRAT Program Assistant
NIGMS, NIH
Room 2AS.49
45 Center Drive MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: 301-594-3583
Fax: 301-480-2802
E-mail: prat@nigms.nih.gov

Related Information

Clinical Pharmacology Research Training Opportunities

Papers by PRAT fellows:

Snapp EL, Hegde RS, Francolini M, Lombardo F, Colombo S, Pedrazzini E, Borgese N, Lippincott-Schwartz J. Formation of stacked ER cisternae by low affinity protein interactions. The Journal of Cell Biology 2003 Oct 27;163(2):257-69. Cover reproduced by copyright permission of the Rockefeller University Press.
 

Julie M. Hall and Kenneth S. Korach. 2003. Stromal Cell-Derived Factor 1. a Novel Target of Estrogen Receptor Action, Mediates the Mitogenic Effects of Estradiol in Ovarian and Breast Cancer Cells. Molecular Endocrinology 17(5), pp. 792-803. Copyright 2003 by the Endocrine Society.
 

Julie M. Hall, Donald P. McDonnell, and Kenneth S. Korach. 2002. Allosteric Regulation of Estrogen Receptor Structure, Function, and Coactivator Recruitment by Different Estrogen Response Elements. Molecular Endocrinology 16(3), pp. 469-486. Copyright 2002 by the Endocrine Society.
 

Kristi A. Egland, Vasantha Kumar, Paul Duray and Ira Pastan. Characterization of overlapping XAGE-1 transcripts encoding a cancer testis antigen expressed in lung, breast, and other types of cancers. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2002 May;1(7):441-50.

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This page last updated May 2, 2007