Training in Cardiovascular Research at the University of Hawaii

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Abstract This application for renewal of the Cardiovascular T32 training program at the University of Hawaii draws on the strengths of our Center for Cardiovascular Research (CCR) and our established graduate program in Cell and Molecular Biology. We also have maintained and enhanced an alliance with the Cardiovascular Division at Stanford University Medical School to enrich the local academic environment and increase the number of seasoned senior investigators available as mentors for our trainees. In recent years our medical school has embarked on a new direction, emphasizing basic investigation that has instilled new energy into our graduate programs. We have moved into a modern campus on the shore of Honolulu and attracted nationally competitive investigators. Our Cardiovascular Center has recruited or developed 5 independent investigators who have a principal focus on cardiovascular investigation. In addition we have a group of UH faculty with established research programs pertinent to cardiovascular science. We now have the critical mass of investigators needed for a successful T32 program. During our first cycle as the only T32 program at the University of Hawaii we have had success in training under-represented minority scientists and in helping our trainees to obtain independent grant funding. We still have our roots in our minority-serving, clinically-focused school, but are adding an important level of scientific sophistication to serve our special location and multiethnic population. During the second cycle of funding, described in this application, we will continue to place our best graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in laboratories devoted to cardiovascular projects, and provide mentoring that will help them succeed. They will benefit from an established curriculum, CCR core resources, and will also be able to draw upon the Stanford Cardiovascular Division for world-class expertise and research resources. We request support for three graduate students and three postdoctoral fellows per year. We expect, on average, that the graduate students will be supported for no more than three years and the postdocs for no more than two years before they either finish or obtain independent funding. Thus we anticipate supporting approximately 7 individual postdoctoral fellows and 5 graduate students during the 5 years of this program. Our goal is to train our next generation of cardiovascular investigators, with special attention to the priorities of our local population.