Scholarship and Mentorship Expansion at the 21st SCMR Scientific Sessions

Society/Cardiovascular Magnetic Reson, East Dundee IL

Investigators

Abstract

The Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) is seeking support for the Travel Award and Mentorship programs at its 21th Annual Scientific Sessions. The SCMR was founded in 1994 to be the leading international representative and advocate for physicians, scientists, and technologists working in CMR, and to improve patient outcomes through excellence in education, training, standards, and research. The SCMR annual meeting highlights the latest advances in CMR research and technology and is designed to help physicians, scientists, engineers, and allied healthcare professionals to gain a deeper understanding of CMR so that they are better able to select and appropriately utilize this powerful imaging modality to diagnose cardiovascular disorders. As such, the meeting is directly in line with the mission of the NIBIB to promote research and development of new biomedical imaging techniques and devices to fundamentally improve the detection, treatment, and prevention of disease; enhancing existing imaging and bioengineering modalities; encouraging research and development in multidisciplinary areas; supporting studies to assess the effectiveness and outcomes of new biologics, materials, processes, devices, and procedures; developing technologies for early disease detection and assessment of health status; and developing advanced imaging and engineering techniques for conducting biomedical research at multiple scales. The travel awards to be supported by this grant are given to trainees and young investigators based on scientific merit of peer-reviewed abstracts and need for financial assistance, with special consideration given to women and members of underrepresented minority groups. Funding of this proposal will enable SCMR to continue the award program focused this year on sending US-based trainees and early career investigators to the 2018 meeting in Barcelona, Spain, with an objective again of distributing 50 awards, with at least half going to women and underrepresented minorities. These awards cover registration and help offset travel costs. For early career attendees, the SCMR will continue to provide mentorship opportunities that have proven to be popular, including one on one mentoring which have been fruitful in developing lasting relationships between junior and senior investigators from different institutions, and ?Mentor's Corner? sessions with topics ranging from ?Female Careers in CMR? to ?How to start a CMR Program?. The 2018 meeting will also feature a new mentoring program entitled ?A Career in CMR? lunch session that will provide information on the different career paths available in CMR. The SCMR meeting serves as an important bridge between academic technical and clinical research, and the daily practice of cardiovascular medicine. Through mentorship and scholarship opportunities provided by this proposal, SCMR will have the potential to create a significant positive impact on a number of highly qualified trainees, with an emphasis on women and underrepresented minorities, who seek careers in science as well as in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.