META2 - Mentor, Educate, Train, Advocate: Patient Oriented Researchers inCardiometabolic Disease

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Latha Palaniappan, MD, MS is a Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and of Epidemiology and Population Health in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University and is a well-recognized clinical researcher with a long track record of funding, expertise, and mentoring in patient-oriented research (POR) in cardiometabolic disease across diverse populations. This K24 renewal proposal capitalizes on Dr. Palaniappan’s extensive clinical research and teaching experience to help her mentor and train the next generation of clinical and translational scientists in POR. Having completed over 240 studies spanning 24 years, Dr. Palaniappan is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in chronic disease prevention research with a focus on cardiometabolic risk among diverse populations. Dr. Palaniappan aims to build upon the successes of her initial K24 award through this Mentor, Educate, Train, Advocate: Patient Oriented Researchers in Cardiometabolic Disease (META2) renewal. The Specific Aims of this renewal proposal are to: 1) engage mentees by leveraging her extensive experience to provide an exceptional environment for POR training, 2) expand the impact of Dr. Palaniappan’s mentorship by imparting mentorship and leadership skills to her new mentees to facilitate their transition into independent researchers, and 3) enhance mentorship skills through further career development and mentorship training. Through the initial K24, her 7 junior faculty mentees have achieved research and funding independence, securing 5 career development awards (4 Ks, 1 Foundation) and 5 R-level grants. They have authored 566 papers with 176 as first author. Through META2, she aims on recruiting 1-2 new mentees per year. POR is critical for the translation of scientific knowledge into population health benefits - it is key for the POR workforce to be highly trained and to reflect the diversity we see in the world. Effective mentoring at early career stages is necessary to support POR scientists in becoming independent investigators. Dr. Palaniappan’s breadth of experience provides an innovative and dynamic setting to train mentees in POR. Her mentees can leverage the existing research platform available through her recently completed NIH studies (IMPACT, STRONG-D) as well as her newly funded AHA and NIH projects (TOTAL, ARISE). The projects in her research portfolio are complementary and well positioned to expand on the fruitful work done through META. Paired with Dr. Palaniappan’s mentee-centered mentorship, these projects are rich with opportunities for mentees to further their training and hone their POR skills. Her research agenda is reinforced by teaching and mentoring activities to develop the trainees’ and her own skillset in data science. Mentoring a diverse variety of trainees in POR not only provides a multidisciplinary and intellectually stimulating environment that promotes community, but also creates successful independent investigators and future leaders in POR.