Cardiovascular Surgery Training Program

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a competitive renewal for a multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Surgery Training Program. The number of cardiothoracic surgeons conducting research is diminishing, and there exists a need to provide quality research training for aspiring academic cardiothoracic surgeons. Thus the goal of this program is to provide surgery residents with training in basic, translational or clinical research in order to foster their development int independent surgeon-scientists. The Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, together with the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center and various Departments within the School of Medicine, propose to continue and enhance a rigorous and successful research training program in the disciplines of vascular or end-organ function following transplantation or surgery. Our program will support three residents/year for a 2-year period. A major program enhancement is that training in both basic and/or clinical research will now be available. To do this, a basic research track and a clinical research track will be implemented so all trainees have a clear, defined option available to meet their interests and training needs. Administratively, the program is guided by three committees: Steering Committee (responsible for overall program function); Individual Training Committee (functions like a thesis committee for each trainee) and an External Advisory Committee. The program is divided into four components. (1) The mentor-guided research experience is the heart of the program where trainees can work on a broad range of research topics in a collaborative atmosphere. Trainees will learn to use a variety of approaches to rigorously test hypotheses. (2) Didactic training will be provided in skills & competencies, research ethics & responsible conduct of research, epidemiology and vascular biology. Trainees in the basic research track will enroll in courses resulting in a Certificate in Public Health Sciences. Trainees in the clinical research track will matriculate in the Master of Science Program in Clinical Research. (3) Required activities for all trainees include: research seminar series, presentations at "research-in-progress" meetings, presentation at the annual "Resident Research Day", and presentation at national conferences. (4) Evaluation of trainees and the program will be essential to meet the evolving needs of future trainees. Trainees are evaluated using a multi-layered mechanism to ensure the success of their training experience. In addition, both mentors and the program are evaluated by trainees during their training as well as after training is completed. Strengths of the program include: (1) an extensive team of experienced and multidisciplinary faculty with successful training, (2) the collaborative links tha have been forged among faculty with interests in basic and clinical research in thoracic and cardiovascular medicine, (3) the comprehensive course offerings, degree options and research programs available to trainees. This program is designed to produce the next generation of highly trained academic cardiothoracic surgeons devoted to understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiovascular injury and disease.