Cerebrovascular Research Training Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is for a new highly focused postdoctoral training program in cerebrovascular disease that will be based in the Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuroscience, and Emergency Medicine at The Mount Sinai Schools of Medicine and Graduate School of Biological Sciences within the Mount Sinai Stroke and Medical Centers. Very strong interdepartmental and multi-disciplinary collaborations have been fostered and solidified, and extramural funding from the NIH has grown exponentially. Based on a fertile and expanding research presence with an established, active and competitive training component, we seek to formalize the research training and career development of the next generation of physician and research scientists in this arena of proven strength within these departments. We have taken multiple concrete steps to insure a cohesive program among the clinical and basic faculty mentors. Our proposal is timely given the tremendous burden of illness stroke causes and the growling epidemic of stroke as the population ages. Further, as Mount Sinai serves a tri-racial community, with minorities experiencing a disproportionate share of stroke, it is poised to attract minority applicants interested in advancing minority health-care issues in stroke. Within the breadth and depth of the cerebrovascular program and the neuroprotection programs, postdoctoral trainees (M.D.s and/or Ph.D.s) will be given an outstanding mentored, individually crafted milieu (10 NIH-funded mentors) where they can immerse in basic/didactic course work, including pediatric cerebrovascular disease, experimental design and methodology and other research techniques (e.g. grant writing, ethical conduct) critically applied to either primarily basic or clinical investigative areas of research. Postdoctoral trainees will be closely supervised and mentored to be able to transition to an independent, basic or clinical neuroscientist through a structured, interactive environment. The focus is on independent research, demonstrating skills of thought, critical reasoning, scientific writing, and presentations, and collaboration. With active recruiting strategies, including attention to minority applicants, fellows will train for a period of 2-3 years. We anticipate recruiting Ph.D.s with research experience but with limited knowledge of cerebrovascular diseases/neuroprotection/cell death, and M.D.s (clinically trained neurologists, neurosurgeons, and emergency medicine physicians) seeking intensive, high-level translational-oriented research training allowing them to compete successfully as future investigators. We will also recruit M.D.-Ph.D.s ready to focus their combined skills towards a specific common, and disabling neurological disease. The program will be administered by Dr. Levine (Director), an experienced and successful mentor and researcher and a carefully chosen Executive Committee. We will provide the training and experience and a customized Advisory Committee that will allow postdoctoral fellows to become independent and successful investigators upon completion of our program. As stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and the number one cause of adult disability, stroke remains one of the major public health problems in the United States today. Despite this, and the aging population of America, there are very few government-designated training programs in stroke research in the country. Our proposal would add a stroke training program that will focus on preparing the next generation of stroke researchers to tackle the problem of stroke via several avenues of clinical and basic research within an outstanding research and training environment.