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Farm-to-table food safety and biosecurity represent increasingly critical areas of scientific national need. The supply of well-trained food safety professionals with an integrated farm-to-table understanding of the US food system is limited. To fill this gap, we propose to develop a comprehensive Ph.D. training program in farm-to-table food safety and biosecurity. <P>
The specific objective of this program is to recruit, train, and mentor a Ph.D. student for a career in farm-to-table food safety and biosecurity.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Our ability to provide comprehensive protection of the US and global food supply will relay on the availability of individuals who understand the vulnerabilities of the food suppy from food's point of production to its point of consumption (farm-to-table protection). To that end, Ph.D.-level scientists with a comprehensive understanding of both pre- and post-harvest food safety issues are needed to assure a safe food supply for the US, as well as a national food industry that remains competitive in global trade. The supply of well-trained food safety professionals with an integrated farm-to-table understanding of the US food system is currently limited. This project will develop a comprehensive Ph.D. training program in farm-to-table food safety and biosecurity to ensure that individuals capable of addressing complex food safety issues are available.
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APPROACH: We will provide a comprehensive Ph.D. training program in farm-to-table food safety and biosecurity. We will focus our recruitment efforts on students from traditionally underrepresented minorities and first generation college students. The basic components of our program are: (1) a core farm-to-table food safety curriculum to provide fundamental knowledge, supplemented with appropriate electives; (2) multidisciplinary dissertation research projects; (3) journal clubs and seminars in farm-to-table food safety; (4) close interactions with advisors' interdisciplinary contacts and their research groups; (5) regular participation in professional and scientific meetings; (6) opportunities for internships in industry and regulatory agencies, and (7) a comprehensive mentoring and advising program. Unique aspects of this training program include (i) a truly multidisciplinary training program that bridges veterinary medicine and food science to include molecular microbiology, epidemiology, risk assessment, microbial pathogenesis and food safety economics, and (ii) internship opportunities at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control, as well as other federal and state agencies and food industry partners. The structure fo the program will ensure that PhD students are prepared for a career in food safety and biosecurity.