Given the rising incidence of hypertension in the US, and the strong relationship between elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, there is a clear need for future hypertension researchers. This is the first competing continuation application of the University of Florida's Multidisciplinary Training Program in Hypertension. The T32 is administered by the UF Hypertension Center and the research program is organized around the following major overlapping themes that reflect the expertise of the mentoring faculty: Endothelial injury and repair; neural control of vascular tone and BP; central and peripheral angiotensin II and nitric oxide control of blood pressure; pulmonary hypertension; cardiovascular damage and renal disease; exercise and cardiovascular injury and health; hypertension and aging/ sexual dimorphism; hypertension and obesity; hypertension in pregnancy; developmental origins of hypertension; pharmacogenomic approaches to antihypertensive treatments. There are 27 well funded, potential mentors drawn from 11 Departments/ Divisions in the UF Colleges of Engineering, Health and Human Performance, Medicine and Pharmacy and many of these mentors are actively collaborating. Chris Baylis Ph.D. is the director of the UF Hypertension Center and T32 Program Director. Peter Sayeski Ph.D., will become Associate director. General oversight of the program is by the Internal Advisory committee and External Advisory committee, chaired by Kathryn Sandberg, Ph.D. (Georgetown University). Recruitment and monitoring of trainee progress is by the PD and the Recruitment and Review (R@R) committee. The Hypertension Center provides the focus and support to the T32 trainees with the following activities: Monthly Hypertension Center seminar series; costs for annual visits of Dr. Sandberg; costs for 1 visit of each external mentor during training period of each trainee. The training program emphasizes the need for all trainees to effectively communicate, accomplished by participation in Journal Club; oral presentations twice a year before all active mentors, PD and the R@R committee and also before both internal and external advisory committees at the annual T32 retreats; annual presentations in the seminar series of the Department of primary affiliation; participation in weekly lab meetings and by attendance and presentation at national and international meetings. This T32 currently funds 3 predoctoral students and 3 postdoctoral trainees. During the first 5 years of this program we graduated 4 Ph.D. trainees (3 now in postdoctoral positions and 1 returned to medical school) with 3 in training. We have trained 4 postdoctoral fellows (an M.D. and 2 Ph.D.s who are now Assistant Professors and a Ph.D. who is currently seeking a research position in academia or industry. We are requesting that this number of stipends (3 predoctoral and 3 postdoctoral) be continued. We are requesting postdoctoral stipends at levels 2, 3 and 4 to accommodate recruitment of some M.D. trainees.
The incidence of high blood pressure (hypertension) in the US is very high and is rising further due to the increase in obesity and age of the population. Hypertension causes strokes and heart attacks that lead to disability and death. Many of the causes of hypertension are unknown, which prevents effective treatment and this training program will develop future hypertension researchers.
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