This is a renewal application to the NIBIB for continuing our broad-based post-doctoral training program in cardiovascular (CV) imaging. CV disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US, yet there are unmet needs in detecting and characterizing CV disease and monitoring/guiding therapy. There are now a multitude of CV imaging technologies and disciplines involved in CV research, from the molecular to clinical level, requiring future generations of CV imaging researchers to have dedicated multi- disciplinary training.
Aim : Continue to bring together trainees and mentors from three core and complementary areas - engineering, molecular imaging, and clinical imaging - for a structured two-year research and educational program in CV imaging. Trainees: Four (4) post-doctoral fellows, with balance of MD and PhD backgrounds from all three of the above areas, who train over a two-year period. Mentors: Twenty-one (21) Stanford faculty mentors - half with MDs and three-quarters with PhDs - who are engaged in CV imaging research. Both the School of Medicine and the School of Engineering are well represented, including Cardiovascular Medicine, Radiology/Radiological Sciences, Electrical Engineering/Bioengineering, and the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS). Training Program: Research - two years of research in CV imaging under a primary mentor, with a secondary mentor from a complementary discipline (e.g., MD to complement PhD). Education - Structured program consisting of courses and seminars in 1) Multi-Modality Cardiovascular Imaging, 2) Cardiovascular Imaging Frontiers, 3) Multi-Disciplinary Innovation, and 4) Research Career Development. Environment: Stanford has a strong environment of innovation and technology-based CV imaging research, with NIH-funded programs and numerous facilities in the Schools of Medicine and Engineering, plus additional support from the Cardiovascular Institute and the Center for Biomedical Imaging at Stanford. Impact: We have successfully brought together a broad range of trainees and faculty mentors/co-mentors across Schools/Departments, 1st group in 2009 and 2nd group in 2011. Of the 8 initial trainees, 4 have garnered Assistant Professor or Instructor positions, 3 are continuing in cardiology or post-doctoral fellowship, and 1 is in biomedical industry. Our goal is to continue this innovative program to train the next generation of CV imaging investigators.
This training program is relevant to public health as it centers on the study of heart disease, which remains the most serious medical problem in the US. In particular, this program will foster the training and career development of physicians, scientists, and engineers in the field of heart and blood vessel imaging, which is critical for detecting this important disease and guiding therapies to improve patient outcomes.
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