Cardiovascular disease in the American population is continuously a major source of debilitation and death despite increased prevention, diagnostic, and treatment options. This situation calls for increased scientific understanding and innovative application of these findings to the care of patients in order to prevent or cure heart disease. This training program in cardiovascular innovation is designed to teach the scientific and technical skills necessary to develop a novel idea and carry this idea through to proof of concept in man. The training program takes unique advantage of the strengths of the Lillehei Heart Institute, the University of Minnesota Cardiovascular Division, the wider community of translational medicine and entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota, and the Twin Cities biotech, pharma, and device industries. This application will train basic and clinical scientists in an interdisciplinary environment with the goal of giving them the insight and tools to be able to successfully carry an idea from conception to implementation in man. Therefore, the major goal of this new Training Program is to provide an interdisciplinary research and training environment wherein trainees will be exposed to the continuum of technological development from conceptual idea to testing at the basic, small animal, large animal, and human levels. Trainees will be advantaged by community strengths in basic, translational, and clinical science, training in cardiovascular innovation and entrepreneurship, and industry interactions and mentorship. There are several unique features of this training program: 1) a focus on cardiovascular sciences, 2) scientific qualification of its Trainers, 3) curriculum focused on innovation, 4) presence of industry mentors, and 5) an opportunity for meaningful industry interactions. The program will consist of a basic cardiovascular curriculum augmented by specific training in cardiovascular innovation. Each trainee will be required to participate in the Bakken Innovation Fellows Program. The goal of this program is to train the next leaders in medtech by fostering leadership and teaching risk management for medical innovations. Trainees will also partake of the Carlson School of Management Medical Industry Leadership Institute (MILI) program. MILI offers students innovative training, knowledge, and experiences through industry-specific courses and unique, hands-on evaluations of emerging technologies from around the globe. Trainees will be required to take 4 relevant half-day courses offered by the Technological Leadership Institute: 1) Innovation, Leadership & Communication, 2) How to Create and Stimulate a Culture of Innovation, 3) Communication in a Technical Environment: Developing Writing and Presenting Skills, and 4) the yearly Innovation Workshop Becoming a Medical Technology Innovator. Trainees will engage in a minimum of 3 years of research training. The first two years of training will be for innovation and other didactics and for carrying out the research. Year 3 will be dedicated predominantly to developing a business plan related to the project and writing an appropriate grant application for career advancement. For PhDs, this would consist of a K99/R01 award application, and for MD trainees, the application would be for the K08 or K23 programs.
The major goal of this new Training Program is to provide an interdisciplinary research and training environment wherein trainees will be exposed to the continuum of technological development from conceptual idea to testing at the basic, small animal, large animal, and human levels. Trainees will be advantaged by community strengths in basic, translational, and clinical science, training in cardiovascular innovation and entrepreneurship, and industry interactions and mentorship.
