The basic goals and objectives of this training grant competing renewal, that is, to provide 4 predoctoral and 5 postdoctoral students with outstanding training in cardiovascular physiology, are unchanged. Cardiovascular disease remains the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed world. There continues to be a need for outstanding scientist-educators to increase our basic understanding of cardiovascular disease and to translate this information into clinical application. The 16 training-faculty are experienced mentors having trained 44 predoctoral and 89 postdoctoral students over the last ten-years. The faculty come from four different departments (3 basic science, one clinical) with a history of collaboration. Their areas of research extend from the atomic structure of signaling molecules to measurements of cardiac output in mice. Areas of concentration include K-channels, nicotinic receptors, second messengers, transcriptional control of myogenesis and development, and genetic bases of cardiovascular disease. A broad range of techniques are applied including electrophysiology, ligand binding, fluorescence spectroscopy, protein biochemicstry, fluorescence imaging, confocal microscopy, MRI, echo cardiography, DNA and protein sequencing, x-ray crystollography, cryomicroscopy, and transgenics. This ensures that trainees receive an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to the study of molecular excitability of the cardiovascular system. The didactic curriculum supports this broad view of physiology and includes classes in molecular and cellular biology as well as whole organ physiology. The training program equips trainees with skills to be effective educators. All trainees regularly present their research findings to the faculty and students and receive organized feedback. This improves their teaching skills as well as gives them opportunities to practice giving feedback. Our students participate in college-wide classes and workshops on didactic teaching, scientific writing and grant preparation. Over the last ten-years the program has trained 54 pre- and postdoctoral students. This success is due not only to the high-quality training that the students receive but also to the quality of the students recruited. Our training program and the college have established programs to aggressively seek qualified under represented minorities. We feel that our combination of faculty, curriculum and students will continue to yield high-quality scientist-educators.
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