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BRETBiomedical Research Education and Training

For New Faculty: Quick Start Guide on Training Students

Welcome to your affiliation with the BRET office! We are excited you are here and want you to have the resources you need for training students.  It would be best to take care of the tasks below after the official start date of your faculty appointment.

IGP/QCB Open lab lists

IGP and QCB students can only rotate and join the laboratory of faculty who are on the BRET Open Lab List (OLL).  Joining the OLL requires:
1. An appointment with the Graduate School
2. Formal mentor training at least once every 4 years.
3. Meetings with the relevant Faculty Affairs office, the DGS of each graduate program of interest, and the Senior Associate Dean in the BRET Office.
4. Approval from the chair or designated administrator of the faculty member’s home department that the department will serve as the financial backstop throughout the entire career of any graduate student who joins the laboratory.

First year application materials

When considering students for a rotation, you can access their application materials here. In order to get access to this database, please complete the top section of this form and send it to Alex DuBois.

Training Grants

US Citizens and Permanent residents who join a lab are eligible for one of our training grants. However, a faculty member must commit to a student before they know if a student receives a training grant position. A list of training grants is available here.  As a new faculty member, it is advisable to meet with several training grant directors so they will know you are interested in training students in their training grant’s research area.

Admissions/Interview documentation access

Our admission software is called SLATE.

  1. If you have not previously completed FERPA training, please navigate to the learning portal and complete the training.  We will accept completed FERPA training from VUMC or VU’s training portal.
  2. Please complete this form to be given access to Slate.

Faculty Databases

Our broad Faculty Database, includes all of the faculty affiliated with VU Basic Sciences, VUMC, and those in Engineering and A&S who have requested be affiliated with BRET.  Much of the information is automatically fed into the database from your faculty appointment; however, there are areas you will likely want to enhance.  Prospective predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows are directed to use the faculty database to explore our training faculty.

To update your faculty profile:

  1. Log into https://wag.app.vanderbilt.edu/FacultyDb
  2. Click on “Profile Management”, then “Descriptors”. Please complete the “Research Description” and “Research Keywords.”
  3. If you have problems logging in, please email the Web Applications Group.

Get Connected

Please find a list of relevant events, including our Biomedical Seminar Series Calendar

We have an active X community. Connect with us at the following handles:

@BiomedVandy: Graduate Student Twitter

@VUBasicSciences: Research Highlights of VU Basic Sciences