Minority Institutional Research Training Program (T32)

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This is a resubmission of a competitive renewal application for a Cardiovascular Research Training Program (CRTP) that was established 27 years ago at the University of New Mexico (UNM). It has served to provide opportunities for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees from underrepresented backgrounds to gain research training in cardiovascular biology. This grant has also been a catalyst for the development of an integrated program of research and training in cardiovascular sciences at UNM. The CRTP has bridged the basic and clinical sciences and has fostered new productive collaborations between disciplines. This area of research and training emphasis has particular relevance to the state of New Mexico where the incidence of cardiovascular-related disease is high, especially in the Hispanic and Native American populations. During the tenure of the grant, several new programs have evolved that unify research in the cardiovascular sciences at the UNM Health Sciences Center (HSC), including the formation of the Vascular Physiology Group with researchers from the School of Medicine and the College of Pharmacy. In addition, since the initial funding of the award, the UNM HSC has identified signature research programs including one focused on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease (CVMD). This area of research receives special funds from the Office of Research to support pilot studies and to enhance collaborative projects between its members. All of the mentors on this grant are members of this signature program with a key member of the T32 serving as the leader of the CVMD program. Collaborative research is also facilitated by the structure of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program that offers a unified training environment within the UNM HSC. The graduate program is non-departmental and provides interdisciplinary training over a broad base of biomedical science in the first year, followed by in-depth training in the chosen discipline. The goals of the current application are to build upon the existing framework and continue to improve our success in research training, career development, retention, and recruitment of URM scientists. To foster this latter objective, we have designed recruitment strategies that seek to improve integration of our program with existing minority-based undergraduate programs at UNM and partner institutions in the region. We will also promote collaborations with clinician scientists in the Clinical and Translational Sciences Center (CTSC) to provide new opportunities for training in translational research. Leaders of the CTSC are mentors on this T32 and will help to coordinate research opportunities in the CTSC for both pre- and post-doctoral trainees. Twenty-five productive and collaborative faculty members from both basic science and clinical departments will serve as faculty mentors. The CRTP will continue to support six predoctoral and two postdoctoral positions per year. Planned appointment durations are 2-3 years for predoctoral students and 2 years for postdoctoral trainees, with subsequent support provided by individual training fellowships or mentored career awards.