Research Training in Pediatric Cardiology

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The first ten years of this award have been directed to training Ph.D.'s and pediatric cardiology fellows in fields of basic cardiovascular science research especially relevant to pediatric cardiology. Their training experiences have been superior as measured by publication records and the post-award achievements of trainees. In this application we will expand on the success of our program to provide pathways for training and mentoring clinical scientists in addition to basic scientists. NHLBI-specific guidelines for T-32 awards strongly advocate training environments enriched by collaborative interactions between basic scientists and clinical investigators. Emphatic support for clinical research in pediatric cardiology has also been provided by recent RFA's for a Pediatric Heart Disease Clinical Network and Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research in Pediatric Heart Development. We are fortunate to have many critical resources to support clinical and basic science research training for pediatric cardiology fellows at MUSC. Our training site is the sole provider of pediatric cardiology tertiary clinical care for the state of South Carolina, and the center of a state-wide network of pediatric cardiologists, resulting in the necessary patient care activities for clinical research ranging from intensive care related hypotheses to epidemiology. Key institutional resources greatly support integration of clinical and basic science research in pediatric cardiology at MUSC. These especially include participation of MUSC as a funded center in the Pediatric Heart Disease Clinical Network, the presence of a highly successful Master of Science in Clinical Research Program, a vigorous NIH/NHLBI Minority Institutional Research Training Program Award, the Cardiovascular Developmental Biology Center, and the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Cardiovascular Research Award. The directors of all of these programs are Associate Directors or Advisory Committee members of this award. The integration of institutional resources, the breadth of mentored research interests and resources, the commitment to mentorship in research activities, and a highly successful applicant recruitment environment creates a superior environment for multidisciplinary research training in pediatric cardiology at MUSC. The basic science, clinical, and translational postdoctoral research training opportunities described in this program augment synergistic interactions currently active between pediatric cardiology at MUSC and demonstrate the rich scope of research activities in the MUSC academic environment. (End of Abstract)