This proposal requests joint sponsorship of the US Ten-Day Seminar on Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases, a unique training program to include NHLBI, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Heart Association. Given the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke to this nation in terms of disability, death, disparities, and costs, this focus area is highly appropriate as a setting for professional training in research and dissemination of evidence supporting improved prevention and patient outcomes. Securing availability of such a workforce is a key element of our country's readiness to address the public health and medical challenges posed by CVD and to take on the new endeavor of improving cardiovascular health (CVH). CVH population and clinical scientists will increasingly need an understanding of methods related to e-cohorts, large practical trials, quality of care research, dissemination and implementation (D&I) research, and big data analytics. The recent emphasis of funding agencies on cost- effective research has led to the need to develop new methods to conduct observational studies and trials. Greatly increased scale of clinical and population data sources can be harnessed to enhance quality of care and population health, but this also places new demands on population and clinical scientists in CVD and CVH research. Biomedical informatics expertise is needed with application to data from electronic health records and public health information sources, including data regarding the physical and social environments. Research competencies are needed in epidemiology and biostatistics, quality of care, and policy and environmental approaches to health promotion and disease prevention. Scientists are needed who can integrate evidence across all of these fields and translate research findings into effective and impactful policy and practice, and the US Seminar contributes uniquely to this training need. The following specific actions must be pursued in order to assure the conduct of a successful Seminar: 1. We continue to attract a faculty with both the knowledge of relevant content and the personal teaching skills required for the effective conduct of this program, with a continuing emphasis on the recruitment of minority and female faculty members (currently comprising 43% of the faculty); 2. We continue to adapt program content to maintain its currency and relevance to the training needs of the nation for health professionals with appropriate career interests, while maintaining a consistent central focus on the areas described above; 3. We continue to disseminate information about this program to appropriate target groups, using the most effective current strategies for reaching minority and female candidates; and 4. We continue to broaden the recruitment of participants, through the structure of the AHA Scientific Councils and additional means.
This proposal requests joint sponsorship of a unique training program to include NHLBI, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Heart Association. This program, established in 1975 and offered annually to the present time, is the US Ten-Day Seminar on Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases. Given the immense burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke to this nation in terms of disability, death, disparities, and costs, this focus area is highly appropriate as a setting for professional training in research and dissemination of evidence supporting improved prevention and patient outcomes. Securing availability of such a workforce is a key element of our country's readiness to address the public health and medical challenges posed by CVD and to take on the new endeavor of improving cardiovascular health.
