This is a competitive renewal for a multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Surgery Training Program. The number of cardiothoracic surgeons conducting research is diminishing, and there exists a need to provide quality research training for aspiring academic cardiothoracic surgeons. Thus the goal of this program is to provide surgery residents with training in basic, translational or clinical research in order to foster their development int independent surgeon-scientists. The Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, together with the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center and various Departments within the School of Medicine, propose to continue and enhance a rigorous and successful research training program in the disciplines of vascular or end-organ function following transplantation or surgery. Our program will support three residents/year for a 2-year period. A major program enhancement is that training in both basic and/or clinical research will now be available. To do this, a basic research track and a clinical research track will be implemented so all trainees have a clear, defined option available to meet their interests and training needs. Administratively, the program is guided by three committees: Steering Committee (responsible for overall program function); Individual Training Committee (functions like a thesis committee for each trainee) and an External Advisory Committee. The program is divided into four components. (1) The mentor-guided research experience is the heart of the program where trainees can work on a broad range of research topics in a collaborative atmosphere. Trainees will learn to use a variety of approaches to rigorously test hypotheses. (2) Didactic training will be provided in skills & competencies, research ethics & responsible conduct of research, epidemiology and vascular biology. Trainees in the basic research track will enroll in courses resulting in a Certificate in Public Health Sciences. Trainees in the clinical research track will matriculate in the Master of Science Program in Clinical Research. (3) Required activities for all trainees include: research seminar series, presentations at research-in-progress meetings, presentation at the annual Resident Research Day, and presentation at national conferences. (4) Evaluation of trainees and the program will be essential to meet the evolving needs of future trainees. Trainees are evaluated using a multi-layered mechanism to ensure the success of their training experience. In addition, both mentors and the program are evaluated by trainees during their training as well as after training is completed. Strengths of the program include: (1) an extensive team of experienced and multidisciplinary faculty with successful training, (2) the collaborative links tha have been forged among faculty with interests in basic and clinical research in thoracic and cardiovascular medicine, (3) the comprehensive course offerings, degree options and research programs available to trainees. This program is designed to produce the next generation of highly trained academic cardiothoracic surgeons devoted to understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiovascular injury and disease.

Public Health Relevance

The number of cardiovascular surgeons conducting research is diminishing, and a vital need exists to provide quality research training for aspiring academic cardiovascular surgeons. This formal training program addresses this shortage by providing for collaboration between basic scientists and clinical faculty to train surgery residents in basic or clinical research to produce the next generation of highly trained academic cardiothoracic surgeons devoted to understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiovascular injury and disease.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32HL007849-17
Application #
8986809
Study Section
NHLBI Institutional Training Mechanism Review Committee (NITM)
Program Officer
Carlson, Drew E
Project Start
1998-07-01
Project End
2020-06-30
Budget Start
2016-07-01
Budget End
2017-06-30
Support Year
17
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Virginia
Department
Surgery
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
065391526
City
Charlottesville
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
22904
Narahari, Adishesh K; Charles, Eric J; Mehaffey, J Hunter et al. (2018) Cardiothoracic surgery training grants provide protected research time vital to the development of academic surgeons. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 155:2050-2056
Charles, Eric J; Mehaffey, J Hunter; Hawkins, Robert B et al. (2018) Benefit of feeding tube placement for refractory malnutrition after bariatric surgery. Surg Obes Relat Dis 14:162-167
Hawkins, Robert B; Mehaffey, J Hunter; Guo, Abra et al. (2018) Postoperative atrial fibrillation is associated with increased morbidity and resource utilization after left ventricular assist device placement. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 156:1543-1549.e4
Hawkins, Robert B; Mehaffey, J Hunter; Kessel, Samuel M et al. (2018) Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is associated with excellent resource utilization, cost, and outcomes. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 156:611-616.e3
Fashandi, Anna Z; Hawkins, Robert B; Salmon, Morgan D et al. (2018) A novel reproducible model of aortic aneurysm rupture. Surgery 163:397-403
Narahari, Adishesh K; Mehaffey, J Hunter; Hawkins, Robert B et al. (2018) Surgeon Scientists Are Disproportionately Affected by Declining NIH Funding Rates. J Am Coll Surg 226:474-481
Schubert, Sarah A; Mehaffey, J Hunter; Booth, Alexander et al. (2018) Pulmonary-Systemic Pressure Ratio Correlates with Morbidity in Cardiac Valve Surgery. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth :
Mullen, Matthew G; Hawkins, Robert B; Johnston, Lily E et al. (2018) Open Surgical Incisions After Colorectal Surgery Improve Quality Metrics, But Do Patients Benefit? Dis Colon Rectum 61:622-628
Ramirez, Adriana G; Nuradin, Nebil; Byiringiro, Fidele et al. (2018) Creation, Implementation, and Assessment of a General Thoracic Surgery Simulation Course in Rwanda. Ann Thorac Surg 105:1842-1849
Mehaffey, J Hunter; Charles, Eric J; Kron, Irving L et al. (2018) Loss of Medicaid insurance after successful bariatric surgery: an unintended outcome. Surg Endosc 32:212-216

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