The T32-funded Cardiovascular Training Program at UT Southwestern has a long and illustrious history of fostering emergence of capable and productive investigators ideally positioned for independence and success. Indeed, our Program has an impressive track record, producing a large number of capable researchers who continue to have substantial impact. Over this period, our institution and the Division of Cardiology have evolved from a research emphasis heavily weighted towards basic science to one that now includes broad strength and representation in translational science, clinical trials, population-based research, and health services and outcomes research. The notification that our T32 competitive renewal did not meet criteria for refunding led us to critically examine all aspects of our program, to tear it down completely, and to rebuild it from scratch. Our new T32 application, while building on the strengths of our highly successful prior program, has been completely redesigned to address several important issues. Among the changes we have made include markedly reducing the number of trainees and restricting our program to postdoctoral fellows. The program is now evenly balanced between basic and clinical/translational research. The mentor pool has been modified substantially to include robust NIH-funded mentors in ancillary departments and to remove investigators who were not sufficiently productive or well funded. We have substantially enhanced our use of individualized development plans (IDPs). Our administrative structure has been redesigned to enhance oversight, to create a more unified institutional home for trainees, and to markedly strengthen bi-directional and ongoing evaluation of the trainees, mentors, and the training program. We have enhanced infrastructure support, including biostatistical support and assistance with IRB submissions. Also, multiple new initiatives have been implemented for female trainees. Our Cardiovascular Training Program is just that, a training program, and not a funding mechanism. Our primary objective is to develop the next generation of transformative cardiovascular investigators by recruiting highly talented and motivated individuals and preparing them for success in an increasingly competitive and resource-challenged environment. A secondary objective is to expand the cadre of women and minorities pursuing careers in cardiovascular research. Our faculty is diverse, spanning a spectrum of expertise from molecule to cell, organ system, organism, and population. Members of our faculty are distributed across the full spectrum of faculty rank, gender, and ethnic background. In summary, our Program is designed to foster the emergence of the next generation of investigators, teachers, and mentors at a time when the need for such has never been greater.
The need for new discoveries in cardiovascular medicine has never been greater. To address this urgent issue, we are training the next generation of rigorously prepared cardiovascular investigators, both scientists and physicians. We provide a comprehensive program of education, mentoring, oversight, and feedback designed explicitly to help meet the cardiovascular healthcare needs of the future.
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