Transdisciplinary Training In Cardiovascular Research

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We propose a new transdisciplinary cardiovascular sciences training program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) that will encompass the full spectrum of research from basic to implementation science. We will provide skills and experiences that position our trainees to uncover new knowledge that can be translated and implemented into the clinical arena for societal benefit; and inspire basic research based on human needs. This application is a collaborative effort between the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (in the Department of Medicine) and the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, and will involve multiple UMMS campus-wide resources. Traditionally, research training has been fragmented, with basic, clinical, and translational efforts often performed in isolation. Current challenges to improve efficiency in research and health care delivery mandate new paradigms. In this context, collaboration between bench and non-bench scientists has led to "team science" as an increasing necessity to meet these challenges. For this reason, our current application is transdisciplinary - a term describing investigators that work together to expand beyond discipline-based concepts, theories, and methods as a means to address a common research topic. Thus, this proposal will offer trainees a novel mentoring scheme by a priori establishing mentorship teams that break boundaries between individual disciplines. The overarching goal of the proposed T32 program is to build a cardiovascular training infrastructure for individuals who will be both independent investigators and team scientists. Each trainee will have the access to expertise from the basic, clinical/translational, public health, and implementation science arenas, and mentors from the T0/T1 and T2+ ends of the spectrum to provide a unique perspective on both the importance and the application of research results. This Program will include collaboration with highly successful scientists, independent research experiences, and novel academic programs. We have a Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) program for clinician-postdoctoral trainees and multiple PhD programs in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences for pre-doctoral trainees. This breadth of mentors, scientific disciplines, and academic programs offers the flexibility to individualize each trainee's experience while providing a strong methodological foundation. Each trainee will identify a major research focus, design and complete a research project in close collaboration with an experienced lead mentor and team, and will submit the results for peer-reviewed publication. Consistent with our transdisciplinary approach, our proposed program also includes early mentor training via mentoring teams across the continuum of faculty levels and disciplinary perspectives. The aims of our program are to: i) Establish a cardiovascular research training program across basic, clinical, and population health disciplines geared towards translating research into effective clinical practice and policy, as well as generating new questions spanning the entire spectrum of cardiovascular disease (CVD) research; ii) Recruit pre-and post- doctoral trainees resulting in a diverse trainee pool with respect to sociodemographic characteristics, clinical background, and disciplinary perspective; iii) Provide trainees with the individual mentoring, academic training, and technical skills necessary to ensure their success as independent investigators as well as contributors to team science; and iv) Provide "hands on" research experience within transdisciplinary teams that builds on the strengths of the current environment of linkages between UMMS Departments, Centers, and Institutes. This program represents an interdepartmental joint effort. It will be co-directed by John F. Keaney, Jr., MD, Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Department of Medicine (DOM) at UMMS and Catarina Kiefe, MD, PhD, Chair of the UMMS Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (QHS). These co- Directors are leaders in T0/T1 and T2+ translational research, respectively. The successful implementation of this program will greatly enhance the research environment at UMMS and position our graduates to the be researchers of tomorrow.!