Multidisciplinary Research Training to Reduce Inequalities in Cardiovascular Health

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Project Summary This is an application for the first five-year renewal (years 6-10) of the Multidisciplinary Research Training to Reduce Inequalities in Cardiovascular Health (METRIC) T32 for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows at Emory University. The goal of the METRIC T32 program is to train diverse candidates in the study of cardiovascular health inequalities broadly defined, based on factors such as race/ethnicity, sex/gender, socioeconomic status, geographical residence, healthcare access, and physical/mental disability, with a focus on the underlying biological, behavioral and environmental mechanisms. A distinguishing feature of our program is the utilization of a multidisciplinary approach to expose trainees to multiple methods and research areas, from epidemiology and biostatistics to behavioral and social sciences, biological sciences, and health policy and implementation. Each trainee has a primary mentor but works within a mentoring team with diverse expertise. A maximum of 5 predoctoral and 5 postdoctoral trainees will be in the program at any time point, each supported for an average of 3 years for predocs and 2 years for postdocs. Training will include multidisciplinary mentoring along with coursework, inter-departmental seminars, hands-on research, grant writing and career development. Our main source of predoctoral applicants will continue to be PhD students entering the School of Public Health's doctoral programs. Postdoctoral fellows will be MDs pursuing a research career in cardiovascular disease, or PhD graduates in epidemiology, nutrition, behavioral sciences, environmental sciences, health policy, or other relevant areas. Postdoctoral trainees will have the opportunity to obtain a MS in Clinical Research. In the past funding cycle all our training slots were filled, and we have utilized three supplementary diversity slots. The program shows a strong track record for successful training and career development, promoted by solid collaborations among the Rollins School of Public Health, the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Morehouse School of Medicine. Of all the fellows appointed, 50% are from underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups. Our program responds to several emphasis areas for NHLBI T32 programs, including multidisciplinary training, collaborative research, diversity of trainees, quantitative sciences, and translation research, with strong emphasis on mentorship and career development. Addressing cardiovascular health inequities is a top priority of the strategic vision of the NHLBI's Division of Cardiovascular Sciences. The ultimate goal of this program is to prepare diverse individuals for leadership positions in biomedical and health care research in order to build capacity for research and translation to reduce inequalities in health and health care for cardiovascular disease.