This is a competitive renewal for a multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Surgery Training Program. The number of cardiothoracic surgeons conducting research is diminishing, and there exists a need to provide quality research training for aspiring academic cardiothoracic surgeons. Thus the goal of this program is to provide surgery residents with training in basic, translational or clinical research in order to foster their development int independent surgeon-scientists. The Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, together with the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center and various Departments within the School of Medicine, propose to continue and enhance a rigorous and successful research training program in the disciplines of vascular or end-organ function following transplantation or surgery. Our program will support three residents/year for a 2-year period. A major program enhancement is that training in both basic and/or clinical research will now be available. To do this, a basic research track and a clinical research track will be implemented so all trainees have a clear, defined option available to meet their interests and training needs. Administratively, the program is guided by three committees: Steering Committee (responsible for overall program function); Individual Training Committee (functions like a thesis committee for each trainee) and an External Advisory Committee. The program is divided into four components. (1) The mentor-guided research experience is the heart of the program where trainees can work on a broad range of research topics in a collaborative atmosphere. Trainees will learn to use a variety of approaches to rigorously test hypotheses. (2) Didactic training will be provided in skills & competencies, research ethics & responsible conduct of research, epidemiology and vascular biology. Trainees in the basic research track will enroll in courses resulting in a Certificate in Public Health Sciences. Trainees in the clinical research track will matriculate in the Master of Science Program in Clinical Research. (3) Required activities for all trainees include: research seminar series, presentations at research-in-progress meetings, presentation at the annual Resident Research Day, and presentation at national conferences. (4) Evaluation of trainees and the program will be essential to meet the evolving needs of future trainees. Trainees are evaluated using a multi-layered mechanism to ensure the success of their training experience. In addition, both mentors and the program are evaluated by trainees during their training as well as after training is completed. Strengths of the program include: (1) an extensive team of experienced and multidisciplinary faculty with successful training, (2) the collaborative links tha have been forged among faculty with interests in basic and clinical research in thoracic and cardiovascular medicine, (3) the comprehensive course offerings, degree options and research programs available to trainees. This program is designed to produce the next generation of highly trained academic cardiothoracic surgeons devoted to understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiovascular injury and disease.

Public Health Relevance

The number of cardiovascular surgeons conducting research is diminishing, and a vital need exists to provide quality research training for aspiring academic cardiovascular surgeons. This formal training program addresses this shortage by providing for collaboration between basic scientists and clinical faculty to train surgery residents in basic or clinical research to produce the next generation of highly trained academic cardiothoracic surgeons devoted to understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiovascular injury and disease.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
2T32HL007849-16
Application #
8794831
Study Section
NHLBI Institutional Training Mechanism Review Committee (NITM)
Program Officer
Carlson, Drew E
Project Start
1998-07-01
Project End
2020-06-30
Budget Start
2015-07-01
Budget End
2016-06-30
Support Year
16
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Virginia
Department
Surgery
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
065391526
City
Charlottesville
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
22904
Mehaffey, J Hunter; Hawkins, Robert B; Byler, Matthew et al. (2018) Amiodarone Protocol Provides Cost-Effective Reduction in Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation. Ann Thorac Surg 105:1697-1702
Mehaffey, J Hunter; Charles, Eric J; Schubert, Sarah et al. (2018) In vivo lung perfusion rehabilitates sepsis-induced lung injury. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 155:440-448.e2
Knisely, Anne T; Michaels, Alex D; Mehaffey, J Hunter et al. (2018) Race is associated with completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Surgery 164:195-200
Beller, Jared P; Hawkins, Robert B; Mehaffey, J Hunter et al. (2018) Does Preoperative Troponin Level Impact Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting? Ann Thorac Surg 106:46-51
Beller, Jared P; Rogers, Jason H; Thourani, Vinod H et al. (2018) Early clinical results with the Tendyne transcatheter mitral valve replacement system. Ann Cardiothorac Surg 7:776-779
Ramirez, Adriana G; Hu, Yinin; Kim, Helen et al. (2018) Long-Term Skills Retention Following a Randomized Prospective Trial on Adaptive Procedural Training. J Surg Educ 75:1589-1597
Hawkins, Robert B; Mehaffey, J Hunter; Mullen, Matthew G et al. (2018) A propensity matched analysis of robotic, minimally invasive, and conventional mitral valve surgery. Heart 104:1970-1975
Hassinger, Taryn E; Mehaffey, J Hunter; Johnston, Lily E et al. (2018) Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is safe in elderly patients: a propensity-score matched analysis. Surg Obes Relat Dis 14:1133-1138
Chancellor, William Z; Schubert, Sarah A; Ailawadi, Gorav (2018) Transcatheter interventions for functional mitral regurgitation. Ann Cardiothorac Surg 7:764-770
Tilak, Ashwini; Ramirez, Adriana G; Turrentine, Florence E et al. (2018) Preoperative Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder Is Associated With Increased Morbidity in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery. J Surg Res 232:587-594

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