Cardiovascular disease remains the number one health problem in our society. Therefore, understanding the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease processes at the molecular and cellular level, translating these insights into clinical practice through integrative physiologic investigation, and developing the appropriate approaches for delivering healthcare to our population through translational research remain high. This multidisciplinary research training program in cardiovascular disease has, therefore, the principal goal of training outstanding M.D. investigators, as well as highly motivated M.D./Ph.D. and Ph.D. scientists, for investigative careers as Medical School or University faculty. To achieve this goal, this multidisciplinary research training program is constructed with four fundamental components. Component one consists of two parallel research training tracts, one for basic and one for translational research. These parallel research training tracts have been focused principally in the areas of atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology;cardiac muscle development, myocyte performance, and hypertrophy;signal transduction;and translational research. Component two consists of a highly developed didactic curriculum that can be individualized for each trainee, irrespective of whether they choose to pursue rigorous basic or translational investigation. Component three consists of common, didactic curricular elements, e.g. research conferences and seminars, a journal club, and a trainee association. These curricular elements provide a mechanism to address those educational deficiencies that all trainees have in common, including: research design and complex statistical methods, developing writing and speaking skills;and, most importantly, developing grant writing capabilities. To achieve these important educational objectives, component four is the commitment of the faculty mentors. Because of the multidisciplined nature of this research training program, the faculty mentors have forged a mutually shared mentorship philosophy, which represents a strong commitment to the individual success of each trainee, irrespective of their focus in basic or translational research. Because this represents an important time commitment, each faculty mentor has committed to, not just providing education to a trainee in their laboratory;but also to the common elements of this research training program. In aggregate, this multidisciplinary cardiovascular research training program is, therefore, designed to provide a rich, rigorous and varied educational experience leading to the acquisition of all the requisite skills by each trainee, irrespective of their prior research experience, to spend a productive and successful lifetime in research and, ultimately, assume their role as a member of a Medical School or University faculty
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