The DBTS works in multiple ways to educate future medical scientists. Educational opportunities are provided for people who have already finished the M.D. or a Ph.D. in one of the medical sciences. Both programs are designed to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to design, conduct and interpret research at the level of the molecule and at the level of the intact mammal, including the human. The Clinical Pharmacology Training Program has a greater emphasis on human research and on the medical practice environments. The Clinical Pharmacology Training Program is also designed to foster the development of teaching skills.
Future plans call for a similar component of teaching skills in the basic medical sciences program.
Postdoctoral fellows in the DBTS are usually supported by extramural funds. Paulo, Brazil in the conduct of cooperative Projects leading to a PhD. degree from the respective institutions. In these colloborative projects, usually PhD. students, visit the DBTS and work on protocols that are within the context of their own thesis project but have research objective that are complimentary to the DBTS research goal. The success of this mutually beneficial collaborative training program has been largely due to a long term commitment and relationship of DBTS with mentors of these PhD students. Students from these foreign universities live in Peoria for periods of a few months to more than one year while they are learning research skills and concepts and completing parts of their research.