The organization structure of the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center is an ideal environment for training and professional development for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows. We focus on basic training in the fields of biochemistry and physiology of platelets, the biochemistry and molecular biology of coagulation factors, and the physiology and cell biology of vessel wall cells. Some of our faculty members hold a primary appointment in the Center as well as having secondary appointments in other departments and centers, including the Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Diagnostic Imaging, Biology, the Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, and the General Clinical Research Center. This arrangement allows for participation in training in the primary department as well as utilizing the resources and facilities of the Center. Thus, the staff is interwoven by the faculty organizational structure within the School of Medicine.
Our Training Program in Thrombosis and Hemostasis is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health since its inception under the direction of Dr. Sol Sherry. Center faculty members who participate as trainers have a high level of expertise in research and technical aspects of their investigative areas, such as thrombosis, hemostasis, and vascular biology research. From 1980 until the present, the training grant for pre- and postdoctoral fellows has been in place with Dr. Satya P. Kunapuli as its program director. Continuation of this institutional training program provides a major mechanism for recruiting young scientists, allowing maximum flexibility and efficiency in attracting quality individuals to the field of thrombosis, hemostasis, and vascular biology research.
The physical layout of Temple University’s Health Sciences Center and Temple University Hospital offers a unique training environment for potential investigators in hemostasis and thrombosis. Dr. Kunapuli as Director of the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center and Dr. Rao as Chief of the Section of Hematology and Co-Director of the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center facilitate interaction between research scientists and clinicians within Temple University. This advantageous arrangement allows for a wide range of training opportunities in varied facilities throughout the HSC.
Three members of the Center are MDs in the Department of Medicine have access to the hospital patient facilities for diagnosis, treatment, and investigative protocols. Former members of the Center who remain in Philadelphia are on our adjunct faculty and visit the Center regularly to collaborate. Strong research alliances exist within the School of Medicine, including the Sections of Oncology, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cardiology, Pulmonary Medicine, and Cardiothoracic Surgery, just to name a few.
Philadelphia is a major center for thrombosis research. Collaborations exist between the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center and other prestigious research universities and hospitals in the City , such as the University of Pennsylvania, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University, and Drexel University.
The Center holds a weekly one-hour seminar each Tuesday throughout the academic year. Invited guest speakers present topics related to hemostasis and thrombosis research and are selected among investigators from the Center, other Temple University departments, other Philadelphia institutions, as well as visiting professors to Temple. Other basic sciences departments at Temple hold a Joint Seminar Series, also offered weekly, with topics related to biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, molecular biology or physiology.