Training the Next Generation of Innovative and Collaborative Patient-Oriented Researchers to Reduce Obesity and Improve Cardiometabolic Health

项目总结/摘要 我的职业生涯专注于研究，临床和转化工作，以改善肥胖的生活方式治疗。 肥胖是心血管疾病的主要诱因 疾病 (CVD), 由于目前流行的高 可口的高能量食物，减少体力活动和睡眠不足。虽然减肥可以减少 心血管疾病风险，持续减肥是大多数肥胖个体的主要挑战。当务之急是确定 创新和循证策略，以促进更大和更持久的减肥。我的合作 研究计划的重点是了解成功减肥维持和翻译的预测 将这些发现转化为改善生活方式体重管理计划的策略。具体来说，我开发和 评估新的减肥干预措施，重点是改变能量摄入的时间或模式， 体力活动（PA）。我的研究涉及严格的，客观的措施自由生活的能量消耗， 能量摄入，多学科合作，全面评估潜在的生物，行为， 治疗反应的社会心理和环境预测因素。总的来说，这些研究提供了 框架和丰富的数据，为学员进行假设驱动的面向患者的研究（POR）。我是 致力于指导下一代创新，协作临床研究人员，以减少 肥胖和心脏代谢疾病风险。我有8年的指导经验，支持新的和早期的- POR阶段临床研究者（本科生、研究生和医学生; MD和PhD博士后 研究员;和初级教员）。我的指导对象在出版生产力方面有着出色的记录， 资金，成功的职业转型，并保留在学术医学。K24职业生涯中期调查员 奖项将为我提供专门的时间，为初级临床研究者提供重点指导， 卓越的潜力，并利用我们优秀的指导，研究和培训资源， 校园我将追求领导和行政培训，以及发展多学科合作 提高我在睡眠/昼夜生理学和定性方法方面的知识和技能， 我的肥胖治疗POR计划的广度和范围。我召集了一个经验丰富的团队 在临床和研究培训方面具有丰富的指导经验和领导作用的临床研究人员 在校园里的计划，作为一个K24咨询委员会，以指导我在K24奖期间。我 具体目标是：1）指导初级临床研究者，以建立一个训练有素的以患者为导向的 研究人员专注于肥胖，营养，PA和睡眠，2）建立和加强我的合作研究 一种旨在严格评估涉及改变行为时间或模式的策略的程序 (diet，PA和睡眠），以制定更有效的生活方式干预措施来治疗肥胖，减少心血管代谢， 疾病，改善健康。作为一名敬业的医生科学家，我有能力提高质量， 在体重管理和降低心血管疾病风险方面的POR广度，并成为该领域的国家领导者。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT My career focuses on research, clinical, and translational efforts to improve lifestyle treatment for obesity. Obesity is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD), accelerated by the current epidemic of highly palatable energy dense food, reduced physical activity, and insufficient sleep. While weight loss can reduce CVDrisk, sustaining weight loss is a major challenge for most individuals with obesity. It is imperative to identify innovative and evidence-based strategies to promote greater and more durable weight loss. My collaborative research program focuses on understanding predictors of successful weight loss maintenance and translating those findings into strategies to improve lifestyle weight management programs. Specifically, I develop and evaluate novel weight loss interventions, focusing on alterations of the timing or pattern of energy intake and physical activity (PA). My studies involve rigorous, objective measures of free-living energy expenditure and energy intake, and multi-disciplinary collaborations to comprehensively assess potential biologic, behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental predictors of treatment response. Collectively, these studies provide a framework and wealth of data for trainees to perform hypothesis-driven patient-oriented research (POR). I am deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of innovative, collaborative clinical researchers to reduce obesity and cardiometabolic disease risk. I have 8 years of mentoring experience supporting new and early- stage clinical investigators in POR (undergraduate, graduate, and medical students; MD and PhD post-doctoral research fellows; and junior faculty). My mentees have an excellent record of publication productivity, NIH grant funding, successful career transitions, and retention in academic medicine. The K24 Mid-Career Investigator Award will provide dedicated time for me to deliver focused mentorship to junior clinical investigators of exceptional potential and capitalize on the outstanding mentoring, research, and training resources of our campus. I will pursue leadership and administrative training, as well as develop multidisciplinary collaborations to enhance my knowledge and skills in sleep/circadian physiology and qualitative methodology to extend the breadth and reach of my obesity treatment POR program. I have assembled an experienced team of senior clinical researchers with extensive mentorship experience and leadership roles in clinical and research training programs on campus to serve as a K24 Advisory Committee to guide me during the K24 award period. My specific aims are to 1) Mentor junior clinical investigators to create a pipeline of well-trained patient-oriented researchers focused on obesity, nutrition, PA, and sleep, and 2) Build and enhance my collaborative research program designed to rigorously evaluate strategies involving alterations of the timing or pattern of behaviors (diet, PA, and sleep) to develop more effective lifestyle interventions to treat obesity, reduce cardiometabolic disease, and improve health. As a dedicated physician-scientist, I am well-positioned to enhance the quality and breadth of POR in weight management and CVD risk reduction and become a national leader in this field.