Student Programs
Hunter-Weill T32 Transdisciplinary Training Program
The T32 Program is a research training program targeting underrepresented minorities
who have earned their doctoral degree. The program is sponsored by the City University
of New York (CUNY) Hunter College, the CUNY Graduate Center, State University of New
York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University and Weill Cornell’s Graduate School
of Medical Sciences. Dr. Carla Boutin-Foster serves as the PI for SUNY Downstate’s
T-32 program. This program offers a unique experience that blends basic science research
with epidemiology, health disparities research, health policy, community engagement,
and clinical exposure. The goal is to increase opportunities for minority researchers
in the area of health disparities research with a focus on diseases of the heart and
lungs. Our first T32 fellow, Dr. Douglas Mansell is a recent Ph.D graduate from Howard University receiving his degree from the Department
of Microbiology with specialization in molecular biology and immunology. As a graduate
student at Howard University, Douglas worked in collaboration with Children’s National
Medical Center under the guidance of Dr. Robert Freishtat where he investigated the
effects of Vitamin D deficiency in adolescent asthmatics. Dr. Mansell currently works
at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University as a young independent investigator under
the mentorship of Dr. Robert Foronjy and Dr. Carla Boutin Foster. He is investigating
the molecular effects of vitamin D in the reduction of airway inflammation in asthma and related illnesses in COPD.
