This is a first renewal application for a pre- and postdoctoral training program, the title and theme of which is ?Understanding Cardiovascular Disease Mechanisms?. The University of Cincinnati and Children?s Hospital has a renowned legacy spanning more than 4 decades of previous NIH T32 support for cardiovascular study, and this current T32 represents the only CV program in Cincinnati. Our collective 18 faculty in this renewal have placed 238 of their past trainees into academics over their careers, 153 of whom have run, or currently run independent research programs. In the past 4 years of this program, our 17 trainees published 43 papers and 5 received independent grant funding during their support period, while 5 graduates have matriculated to jobs in scientific careers. The overall scientific emphasis of our training program will continue to build from a basic platform of cardiovascular physiology, cell biology, biochemistry and pharmacology, but will also incorporate the latest approaches in biomedical research, as well as incorporating clinical and translational approaches. The cardiovascular environment at Cincinnati Children?s and the University of Cincinnati is considered one of the very best in the country. Our 18 TG faculty are all NIH funded (some 47 NIH funding components amongst them as PI status), 165 collaborative papers published together, and they are employing the very latest technologies and approaches with outstanding core support. The leadership consists of the co- PIs Drs. Evangelia Kranias and Jeffery Molkentin, both of whom have a long track record of working together (20 years), as well as having excellent mentorship credentials. The Executive Committee (2 members), Internal Advisory Committee (4 members) and External Advisory Committee (3 members) are highly engaged cardiovascular researchers who will continue to help ensure the quality of the training program. The renewal requests continuation of the funding of 3 pre- and 3 postdoctoral trainee positions. Predocs are selected by the Internal Advisory Committee from a vast and outstanding pool of candidates amongst 7 departmental graduate programs, while postdoctoral candidates are selected based on being accepted into a mentor?s laboratory and then passing the screening process by the Internal Advisory Committee and co-PIs. The mentoring program and evaluation process for the program are highly structured and oversight occurs on many levels. Trainees and mentors are evaluated every 6 months with IDPs processing. The proposed educational training curriculum is highly structured and state-of-the-art. Recruitment of minorities has been successful in the past with our faculty, and it will remain a top priority.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death and disability in the western world. This proposed renewal training grant application will again focus on this theme, and our collective 18 faculty members have made this their life?s work. The program will train the highest quality of young scientists in cardiovascular research, who will be the future leaders in developing better therapy and treatment for this devastating condition.
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