Multidisciplinary Training in Cardiovascular Pathophysiology

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While new classes of drugs and advances in surgical interventions has led to a decline in the cardiovascular mortality rate, the incidence of cardiovascular disease has begun to rise again in recent years after decades of decline, suggesting a continued investment in biomedical research will be critical to maintaining the progress we have made in fighting this disease. Due to the complexity of cardiovascular disease and the growing availability of advanced research techniques to understand these disease processes, it is imperative that the next generation of research scientists receive training across a variety of disciplines, including cardiovascular physiology, cellular and molecular biology, and disease pathogenesis. The NIH-funded Cardiovascular Undergraduate Research Initiative fOr Underrepresented Students (CURIOUS) program was established in 2019 to enhance the access of minority and disadvantaged undergraduate students to advanced research training in cardiovascular disease and to increase the recruitment of underrepresented students into our graduate programs. However, the state of Louisiana currently lacks any NHLBI funded T32 programs to further graduate training. The Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences (CCDS) at LSU Health Shreveport includes a collaborative, multi-departmental faculty with research interests across a wide variety of cardiovascular disease. To facilitate graduate and postdoctoral training, the CCDS has funded 26 Predoctoral Fellows and 34 Postdoctoral Fellows over the past 8 years. The goal of the Multidisciplinary Training in Cardiovascular Pathophysiology (MCTP) Training Program is to grow and formalize our graduate research program, to meet the need for advanced interdisciplinary training for Predoctoral Fellows, and to provide a diverse pool of scientists to the study of cardiovascular disease. Trainees within the MCTP will be exposed to inter-departmental training initiatives, providing an extensive training experience that complements the individual departmental programs. The MTCP training program will build on current training initiatives in the CCDS to provide the only cardiovascular training program in Louisiana and the only training program in the state focused on disease pathogenesis. The overall goals of the MTCP at LSU Health Shreveport are: 1) to provide opportunities for research training in state- of-the-art research laboratories involving collaborative groups of established and emerging research scientists, 2) to establish a training program in cardiovascular pathophysiology involving didactic lectures, seminars and interaction with world-renowned scientists, clinical research experiences, and multiple annual research events, 3) to further enhance the recruitment of underrepresented groups of scientists into cardiovascular research in collaboration with the NIH-funded CURIOUS program, and 4) to enhance the professional development of our trainees through access to advanced training for grant writing, and career skills seminars.