Postdoctoral Training in Cardiovascular Disease

Columbia University Health Sciences, New York NY

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Linked publications & trials

Abstract

This application requests funding for the fifth competitive renewal of a postdoctoral training program in Cardiovascular Diseases. The program is designed to provide opportunities for Cardiology- and Surgical-based physician-scientist trainees to become independent investigators in Cardiovascular research. Trainees will be exposed to many faculty, ranging from junior faculty to full professors, each well-funded, with outstanding training and publication records. Trainees are encouraged to choose co-mentors to enhance their multi-disciplinary training. Faculty mentors will direct research training in four primary areas: 1) Vascular Biology, including atherosclerosis, diabetes, and metabolism; 2) Cardiomyocyte biology, including ion channels, pharmacology, and tissue and biomedical engineering; 3) Immunology and Precision Medicine; and 4) Translational, Outcomes, and Clinical Research. The usual duration of the program is two years, but it may be extended to three years. Candidates are selected from a very large pool of outstanding applicants to our clinical training programs in Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Cardiovascular Diseases, as well as through direct applications to the training program. The training program and core departments offer well-established cardiovascular seminar series, journal clubs, joint laboratory meetings, and retreats, all designed to foster collaborations and interdisciplinary research. Additionally, the training program itself sponsors seminars and monthly work-in-progress sessions to assess the progress of trainees. The training program has an efficient evaluation and feedback system to ensure appropriate training of our fellows. Throughout the program and afterwards, trainees receive guidance on research and career development, both individually and through a mentoring program led by an Associate Director for Trainee Development. The program is designed to take advantage of the many existing strengths of Columbia University, including the Irving Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CTSA), Mailman School of Public Health, Genome Center, Bioinformatics, Tissue and Biomedical Engineering and numerous basic science departments and strong clinical programs, as well as the established track record of research training of physician-scientists in this program for the past 25 years.