The future of the discipline of pediatric cardiology rests on the ability to recruit talented individuals for training to become clinician-scientists who will conduct research related to cardiovascular disorders that have their origins during fetal life, childhood or adolescence. This proposal requests a continuation of the University of Iowa's pediatric cardiology NRSA, established in 1978. The thirty-two graduates of this program continue to expand the understanding of congenital heart disease and the origins of acquired heart disease. The goal of this proposal is to foster multidisciplinary research training for MD and MD/PhD postdoctoral fellows in clinical, basic science or population research. This training will serve as a foundation for a career in academic pediatric cardiology. A diverse group of established scientists from 10 departments and 3 Colleges has been identified to serve as mentors. They have been drawn from clinical, basic science, public health and engineering departments and have research interests that range from the basic mechanisms of cardiac rnorphogenesis to the development of coronary artery disease and myocyte death. Mentors use state-of-the-art techniques to explore specific questions in genetics, molecular and cellular biology, physiology, cardiovascular imaging, and epidemiology. The Executive Committee of the training program guides trainees through the early stages of selecting a mentor and choosing a research discipline and monitors their progress throughout the period of training. In addition to the guidance provided by the mentors, trainees also attend structured sessions on many of the aspects needed for successful academic careers. Attention is given to career development with time available for interaction with other scientists at local and national meetings, and manuscript and grant preparation. Our program has trained 34 pediatric cardiologists to study diverse topics from cardiac development and ontogenesis to the prevention of cardiovascular risk in youth. After completing this program, almost 85% took academic appointments and a significant number (53%) continued their research interests by obtaining extramural funding (N=17) or directing clinical drug trials (N=I). This proposal requests ongoing support of our program, which 1) recruits talented applicants who desire a career in academic pediatric cardiology with an emphasis on research and 2) fulfills the recommendation of the NIH Task Force to further strategies to encourage and support clinicians interested in becoming independent investigators of pediatric cardiovascular diseases and to develop centers for training these scientists.
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