CURIOUS: Cardiovascular Undergraduate Research Initiative fOr Underrerepresented Students

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ABSTRACT The LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) has seen a steady increase in grant funding in the past few years, in particular in the area of cardiovascular diseases. Areas of research focus include atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, peripheral artery disease, microvascular dysfunction in response to cardiovascular disease risk factors, stroke and the vascular/heart-brain axis. Principle Investigators leading this research are members of our Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences (CCDS). Their efforts now consistute more than 50% of total NIH funding at LSUHSC-S. There is considerable cross-collaboration and sharing of expertise between CCDS members, positioning us to focus on training young researchers in cardiovascular diseases. We have identified undergraduate students as the population least served in terms of research experience on our campus. Therefore we propose the development of the Cardiovascular Undergraduate Research Initiative fOr Underrepresented Students (CURIOUS) Program. This will be an intensive 8-week summer research program targeted at underrepresented students from all over the USA, but with particular emphasis on the 6 four-year universities in the northwest Louisiana region, and surrounding states where there are large underserved populations and high rates of cardiovascular disease. Students will have 8 weeks of research in a lab with a cardiovascular-related focus, complemented by didactic lectures in the responsible conduct of research, interaction with seminar speakers invited specifically for the students in this program, and lunches to informally learn about student life, diversity and financial preparedness for graduate school. In addition there will be 2 types of weekly experiences: 1) cardiovascular basics, and state-of-the-art techniques that will give students an introduction to basic cardiovascular anatomy and pathology before teaching them advanced techniques we use to interrogate cardiovscular disease, such as echo and endoPAT; and 2) career development in which there will be introduction to the medical and graduate school, as well as cardiopulmonary sciences, workshops on how to present yourself, write a CV, interview, and design a poster. Finally the students will present a poster in a designated poster session our LSUHSC-S. We will emphasize retention of students for 2 summers, and provide more advanced versions of the weekly experiences in year 2, culminating in an oral presentation. For the top-performing students, we will offer the opportunity to attend and present at a national conference. Therefore the CURIOUS program will enhance the research training of underrepresented undergraduates in the area of cardiovascular disease, and expose them to multiple career paths in which they can continue to pursue research. Overall, this effort is designed to improve the workforce available to move research on cardiovascular disease forward at a national level. !