This Training Program, Mechanisms of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Diseases, Suzanne Oparil, M.D., Program Director, offers postdoctoral training in fundamental aspects of the pathophysiology of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The Program has been refocused to include new training opportunities in the areas of cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, arrhythmogensis and mechanisms of restenosis. These new ventures are reflected in the change in project title. The Program emphasizes cellular and molecular approaches to the study of cardiovascular control mechanisms and the pathogenesis of various forms of cardiovascular disease. It includes a multidisciplinary faculty with experience in neurohumoral factors in blood pressure control, free radical biology as it pertains to cardiovascular disease, and the pathophysiology of cardiac hypertrophy and arrhythmogenesis in heart failure. Each trainee is given in-depth experience in one area of cardiology, vascular biology or hypertension research. Training opportunities are available in: the molecular genetics of hypertension and of the humoral and neural regulators of the cardiovascular system; the molecular and cell biology of peptide hormone receptors and receptor-effector coupling mechanisms; oncogenes and growth factors in cardiac and vascular smooth muscle cell growth; the neurobiology of cardiovascular control systems; the role of free radicals, including nitric oxide and peroxynitrite, in cardiovascular diseases; molecular mechanisms of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension; the sexual dimorphism of cardiovascular disease; the pathophysiology of angiogenesis; membrane ion transport; renal function in experimental and clinical hypertension; hemodynamics, and clinical research in the pathogenesis of renovascular and post renal transplantation hypertension; the role of the sympathetic nervous system in blood pressure regulation, and the evaluation of innovative therapies for systemic and pulmonary hypertension, congestive heart failure, stroke and reperfusion injury. Trainees will have a concentrated 2-3 year experience in laboratory research under the direction of one or more members of the training faculty. Both M.D. and Ph.D. trainees will spend the majority of their time in investigation, in taking relevant courses and in attending scientific meetings. The goal of the Training Program is to prepare postdoctoral trainees for careers in both fundamental and clinical research in cardiovascular diseases. The educational experiences available to our trainees are sufficient to equip graduates of the Program with the appropriate technical skills and theoretical background to make them competitive for faculty positions in prestigious institutions throughout the country. In the past 10 years, 36 M.D. and Ph.D. scientists have been or are being trained in this program; 13 are still in training. Of those no longer in training, 78% currently occupy academic positions; 13% occupy research positions in industry; 61 % have past, current or pending NIH research support, and 43% have research support from other sources.
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