This application proposes continued funding for an interdisciplinary Iowa Training Program in Kidney and Hypertension research. The program provides research training for adult and pediatric nephrology fellows as well as PhD scientists interested in kidney and hypertension research in the University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine. The primary purpose of the program is to provide intensive rigorous training for clinicians and scientists in broad ranges of areas related to kidney biology and disease and hypertension to transform this knowledge into improvements in patient care. The training program has been continuously funded for the past 25 years. The applicant pool is robust, and the program has filled consistently. The graduates from the program have published important contributions to biomedical research, and many have obtained faculty positions and received external funding for their research. The program faculty comprises 41 physician- scientists and basic scientists from 11 Departments with expertise in a broad range of scientific disciplines that are relevant to the kidney and hypertension. The training program research portfolio is organized into five themes based on and integrated with the existing strengths of research on campus: ion transport physiology and cell biology, renal genetics, hypertension, diabetes and renal metabolic diseases, and clinical and translation research in kidney diseases. The training curriculum includes mentored research training, didactic courses that include optional elective graduate-level courses, grant-writing workshop, and required courses in ethics and the responsible conduct of research, and attendance to journal clubs, works-in-progress and research seminar series. Specific training opportunities for patient-oriented research consist of a certification program in patient-oriented research and a Master or PhD degree in Translational Medicine.
There remain significant gaps in our understanding of the pathogenesis and optimal treatment of kidney disease and hypertension. The Training Program proposes to train clinicians and scientists to better understand kidney physiology and disease and the pathophysiology of hypertension disorders. A better understanding of kidney disease and hypertension will lead to better prevention and treatments of the disorders.
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