The primary goal of our training program, which is in its fifteenth year, remains unchanged. Our goal is to provide the scientific and clinical community with highly qualified investigators who have the skills and knowledge to excel in an academic setting and to perform independent investigators of cardiovascular function and disease. The specific objective is to provide training to pre- and postdoctoral (M.D. or Ph.D) students in the physiological, molecular, biophysical, and biochemical aspects of smooth and cardiac muscle function. Our training program emphasizes cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art facilities, and a challenging intellectual environment. A major change in our training grant is the formal of a strategic educational and research training alliance that involves three basic science and three clinical departments. This multi-disciplinary approach takes better advantage of the outstanding faculty, research and educational programs in these departments. The areas of research emphasis for our trainees are: 1) ionic mechanisms of smooth and cardiac muscle excitability and function; 2) regulation of smooth and cardiac muscle contractility and metabolism; 3) mechanisms of calcium signaling and intracellular calcium homeostasis; and 4) endocrine and neural factors in smooth and cardiac muscle function. Predoctoral candidates enter the training program following successful completion of the first year of course work, which includes graduate physiology, biochemistry molecular biology of the cell, and biostatistics. First year predoctoral candidates rotate through at least three laboratories for """"""""hands-on"""""""" research experience. Postdoctoral candidates are recruited into specific laboratories for intensive training in their area of interest. The training program includes weekly seminars by prominent investigators outside the institution, journal clubs and research colloquia. Our track record is excellent Our recruitment of under-represented minorities has been very successful. The credentials of our predoctoral candidates continues to rise; the GREs of accepted students are well above 1900. The number and quality of our postdoctoral applicants also continues to rise despite very competitive times. Many of our postdoctoral fellows have obtained individual NRSA awards or individual fellowships for other agencies. We are very proud of the graduates of our training program; the vast majority has continued in research and many have successful careers in academia. Twelve outstanding preceptors have been added to the training grant faculty. Most of these are from the Department of Molecular Genetics, which is a major partner in our strategic research and educational alliance. This arrangement promotes scientific interactions and enhance the breadth of educational and research experiences in our cardiovascular training program.
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