This proposal is a competing continuation of our ongoing training program in the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular disease, first funded in 1984. The proposed program will continue to admit two predoctoral and three postdoctoral trainees who will obtain an advanced degree in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health and who will work intensively with experienced cardiovascular epidemiologists and methodologists within the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Training will include three formal components: (1) Coursework leading to a master's or doctoral degree in epidemiology or public health, as appropriate given training and career goals. (2) Required coursework in cardiovascular epidemiology and strongly recommended coursework in molecular and genetic epidemiology, as well as seminars on substantive areas and methodologic issues relevant to cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention. (3) Intensive research activities, in which each trainee will collaborate with one or more established mentors on a number of projects to gain experience in the design, conduct, and analysis of cardiovascular epidemiology research leading to publication in peer-reviewed journals. Research activities will leverage the many large-scale epidemiologic studies currently funded to the Division of Preventive Medicine. These studies include both observational studies and randomized clinical trials, and associated plasma and DNA banks. These resources will provide significant opportunities for trainees to meld the practical research techniques of large-scale epidemiology with emerging molecular and genetic approaches. The number of sufficiently trained epidemiologists with a strong pathophysiologic focus in cardiovascular disease is currently small, as is the number of clinical cardiologists with a sustained core focus in translational epidemiologic research. We remain convinced of the need for specialized training in the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and of our particular ability to provide a high-quality research and training experience for students. As demonstrated by the excellent productivity and research independence achieved by our previous trainees, we are confident that funding of this competing will continue to successfully prepare future academic leaders in the fields of cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention.
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