Training

Through a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the Rose F. Kennedy IDDRC is offering postdoctoral training to eligible candidates interested in careers in the biomedical sciences focused on the neurobiological underpinnings of neurodevelopmental disorders associated with intellectual disability and autism. The Rose F. Kennedy IDDRC was established more than 50 years ago as one of a dozen flagship research centers founded during the John F. Kennedy administration, and is known for its strong foundations in basic and translational neuroscience, and for its multidisciplinary cross-departmental membership. In addition to its many research laboratories and clinics, the IDDRC maintains four outstanding scientific core facilities – these consisting of a Human Clinical Phenotyping (HCP) core, a Neurogenomics (NGEN) core, a Neural Cell Engineering and Imaging (NCEI) core and an Animal Phenotyping (AP) core.

Eligibility

Successful candidates will be highly motivated toward IDD research coupled with excellent training in the neurosciences/biomedical research. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card holders) and have a PhD, MD, MD/PhD, DVM or DVM/PhD. Underrepresented minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. The Rose F. Kennedy IDDRC seeks postdoctoral candidates whose skills, and personal and professional experience, have prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence, and the communities we serve.

How to apply

Applicants will provide a current CV, three letters of recommendation and a personal statement outlining their training and qualifications and their proposed areas of research interest to the IDDRC Administrator julie.mota@einsteinmed.edu.

Training opportunities

Our training program consists of 36 primary faculty trainers selected from our 100+ membership in the Rose F. Kennedy IDDRC. A list of our trainers is available here. Potential applicants are encouraged to reach out to individual trainers who represent areas of interest as part of their application process.

Current IDD trainees at Einstein

A list of graduate students, MSTPs and postdoctoral fellows currently in training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and whose research interests involve IDD-related topics can be found here.

The IDDRC postdoctoral training program

The overarching goal of the Rose F. Kennedy IDD postdoctoral training program is to develop the next generation of independent IDD researchers for high-impact careers. Each T32 postdoctoral trainee will have primary assignment to the lab of one of the primary IDD Trainers and when appropriate to their training goals and area of study they may also have a secondary clinical advisor. Each trainee will be engaged in an IDD-relevant research project supervised by their primary mentor. We estimate that during their 2-year training plan the trainee will spend ~75% of their time dedicated to research and acquiring expertise in the tools of the trade in their primary laboratory (and may also include training in scientific cores and in other labs to acquire specific skill sets); ~20% in didactic training, attending (or presenting) at seminars, conferences and rounds; and ~5% in clinic/patient related activities. In concert, these activities will provide an in-depth research experience using cutting edge approaches to foster discovery and understanding and/or new therapies for IDDs.

The training environment at Einstein and Montefiore

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the Nation’s premier research-intensive medical and graduate schools, ranking 7th nationally in NIH funding per faculty member in 2018, with Einstein’s NIH grants totaling $174 million that year. Traditional barriers between departments and specialized facilities have been eliminated by creation of centers and shared facilities that provide an interactive environment to foster joint efforts among basic and clinical scientists, clinicians and translational researchers working in >300 laboratories.  In 2015 Einstein became part of the Montefiore Medical Center which includes the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) which is home to numerous specialty clinics focused on IDDs. In addition to CHAM, Einstein is also the home of the Rose F. Kennedy Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) which has 9 clinical units boasting a remarkable 50,000 office visits/year, providing services to over 8,000 children and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The combined strengths of Einstein research laboratories and CHAM and CERC clinics provide formidable opportunities for advancing understanding and developing treatments for intellectual and developmental disorders.

Trainers