Rochester Musculoskeletal (ROCMSK) T32 Training Program

Dating back to 2006, the CMSR has been home to a formal T32-supported training program aiming to provide a comprehensive didactic and research education as well as career development mentoring to future scientists in the musculoskeletal field. In 2020, the training program was rejuvenated and rebranded as the “Rochester Musculoskeletal (ROCMSK) Training Program” with the support of a T32 grant award (T32AR076950) from NIAMS and significant support from the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, which is directed by Drs. Hani Awad, Laura Calvi, and Alayna Loiselle.

Overall, ROCMSK training program aims to recruit the most promising talents from diverse pools of graduate students accepted into six degree-awarding departments and programs at the University of Rochester and postdocs identified by ROCMSK mentors. ROCMSK training program aims to nurture these trainees to ensure continued development and innovation in the basic understanding of musculoskeletal biology and translating discoveries into therapies for orthopaedic problems that critically impact the public health. The training will emphasize basic and translational science education through: contemporary curricular activities specifically designed for musculoskeletal science; innovative research experiences pursued through PhD dissertations and post-doctoral projects with emphasis on scientific rigor and biomedical ethics; individualized development plans that utilize evidence-based approaches for career planning; expansive networking opportunities through monthly invited-speaker seminars and an annual symposium; and scientific communication through formal expectations of publications, presentations at national meetings, and submissions of fellowship grant applications.

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• CMSR-wide Work-In-Progress (WIP) Meetings - Historically, these meetings have been linchpin in the CMSR’s mission to educate students and fellows. Each meeting is moderated by three trainees who take 20 minutes each to present either ‘dirty data’ (work-in-progress) for discussion of troubleshooting and research direction, or formal polished presentations which provide background, hypotheses, experimental strategies, results and conclusions regarding a single project. All graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, including T32 trainees, participate in these meetings and generally have the opportunity to present approximately two to three times per year.
• The Foundations in Musculoskeletal Science Curriculum - This curriculum was developed specifically for the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Training Grant, provides training in scientific concepts and communication skills for our trainees. All T32 trainees are required to enroll in these courses. The Musculoskeletal Science Courses are single credit courses that meet for 50 minutes each week over the span of two academic years, as described on the CMSR website. These courses are designed to enrich ROCMSK trainees’ research experience while not imposing significant time constraints that detract from trainees’ research experience.  For pre-doctoral candidates, these courses can be used towards degree requirements, as they complement the courses required by participating graduate programs and can each be used as a single credit electives.            
• Journal Clubs - Several Journal Clubs meet on a weekly or biweekly basis. These journal clubs are an integral component of graduate and postdoctoral training in the basic biomedical sciences for a complete exposure to the current literature, in particular as it pertains to a researcher’s specific area of interest. This is of unique importance in the musculoskeletal field because of the close interplay that exists between various skeletal tissues during disease and repair processes.
• ROCMSK Grant Writing Mentoring Initiatives - Since the inception of the CMSR in 2000, a weekly Friday PI meeting convenes to discuss and administer CMSR business (including discussion and oversight of progress in this Training Program), and to provide a forum for investigators to receive input from colleagues about grants under development. Under the auspices of the new Training program, ROCMSK Trainees will be required to attend this weekly meeting, where they will observe and contribute to the discussion of other proposals that are under development and learn the nuances of grantsmanship. In addition, trainees will be invited meet weekly for 1 hour with a grant writing group to critique ongoing writing efforts for F-series or K-series grants. The group will be led by Dr. J. Edward Puzas, the chair of the CMSR Mentoring Committee, who has exceptional experience in grant mentorship through his leadership of the US Bone and Joint Initiative Young Investigators Initiative Grant Mentoring Program. Each trainee is required to bring a proposal section currently under construction for distribution/discussion and the time will be split to cover all participants’ contributions.
• The William F. Neuman Visiting Scientist Seminar Series - This monthly meeting features invited distinguished speakers. Historically, the CMSR has invited prominent scientists to the University for the purpose of presenting their cutting-edge research and to meet and interact with faculty and trainees in our group. Such interactions are vital for young investigators, who need to expand their awareness of current progress and to make acquaintance with established researchers. With Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation support that was initiated as a result of the successful funding of the current and past T32 since 2006, we have hosted and continue to invite numerous internationally recognized musculoskeletal scientists over the past decade.
• The Annual Center for Musculoskeletal Research Symposium - This annual symposium is an anchoring event that has been a celebrated training-related CMSR tradition for over 10 years. The symposium generally features: i) a scientific session with 15-minute podium presentations by several predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees selected based on submitted and refereed abstracts; ii) a poster session for all trainees in the CMSR; iii) a plenary session comprised of CMSR faculty and a Keynote Guest Speaker; iv) a celebration dinner to honor the Keynote Speaker and promote camaraderie and interaction between all members of the CMSR and ROCMSK Program; and v) the recognition of three annual Randy N. Rosier Trainee Travel Awardees to recognize their outstanding research presentation in the Scientific Session.
• Community Outreach - Our outreach and educational initiative provides one exceptional high school student from the Rochester City School District (RCSD) the opportunity to obtain a year of exposure to biomedical research in musculoskeletal science under the umbrella of the Teen Health and Success Partnership at URMC. The selected RCSD student will be paired with one of the ROCMSK trainees for 2-month rotations each to cover the entire year. This arrangement affords each ROCMSK trainee an opportunity to mentor promising underprivileged student prospects and provides an the RCSD student a rich experience in which they can sample up to 6 unique musculoskeletal science vignettes to stimulate a life-long interest in science and research. In addition, ROKMSK Trainees are expected to lead one session every year with the outreach program MedClub, which is led by Dr. Loiselle.  MedClub is a partnership between the CMSR and the Rochester-based teen empowerment initiative, Champion Academy.  MedClub includes approximately 30 middle and high school students from the Rochester City School District that have self-identified as interested in a STEM related career.  MedClub aims to expose students that are under-represented in research and health-care related careers to these professions via a series of monthly hands-on modules, led by CMSR trainees and faculty, which are designed to spark enthusiasm and commitment to scientific or medical careers. 

Overall, these training elements provide trainees with an outstanding educational experience that compliments and extends the research-specific training provided by Program faculty.

Interested in applying or have questions about the program, please e-mail Dr. Laura Calvi.

Current Trainees

Pre-doctoral

Christina Kaszuba, MS

MS, University of Rochester

Mentor:  Jeevisha Bajaj, PhD (Primary) and Hani Awad, PhD (Co-Advisor)

Research Interests:  Understanding the mechanism by which mesenchymal stromal cells interact with amino acids to impact skeletal system development, specifically in the context of Osteoporosis.

Future Plans:  Establish her own laboratory with a research focus on developing medicines to treat Osteoporosis.

Hobbies:  Enjoys hiking, backpacking, camping, birdwatching, and gardening.  She also loves to cook and learn about new cuisines.

Katya McDonald

BA, Gustavus Adolphus College

Mentor:  Gowri Muthukrishnan, PhD

Research Interests:  Understanding the changes in the human CD4 T cell response during the establishment of chronic S. aureus osteomyelitis.  More specifically, interrogating the transition from an effector response towards dysfunction.

Future Plans:  Finish pre-doctoral training, then continue to study host-pathogen interactions in a postdoc position as an independent scientist.

Hobbies:  Enjoys playing kickball, hanging out with friends, and exploring the Finger Lakes, especially the beautiful waterfalls.

Zach Sechrist

BS, Clarkson University

Mentor:  Calvin Cole, PhD

Research Interests:  Understanding the complicated interplay between pancreatic cancer and skeletal muscle and underlying signaling mechanisms propagating cancer-related skeletal muscle wasting with the long term goal of identifying therapeutic targets.

Future Plans:  Become an investigator of my own lab focusing on how various cancers like breast and pancreatic cancer alter systemic homeostatic functions, aiding in uncontrolled tumor growth. Through identifying altered signaling pathways, I hope to develop and translate anti-cancer therapies for treatment in the clinic.

Hobbies:  I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, climbing and kayaking and I am becoming an avid hockey fan. Go Colorado Avalanche!!

Victor Zhang

BS, University of Rochester

Mentor:  Hani Awad, PhD and James McGrath, PhD

Research Interests:  Using tendon-on-a-chip and other bioengineering technologies for translational applications and developing new therapeutic strategies.

Future Plans: In the future, I would like to be a physician-scientist where my clinical practice informs my research and science.

Hobbies:  Playing video games, watching NBA and Formula 1, and trying new foods