NIH CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD

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The aim of this proposal is to enable the candidate, Dr. Ichiro Kawachi, M.D., Ph.D., to develop his research career in cardiovascular epidemiology with a special emphasis on psychosocial risk factors. This proposal describes a 5-year program of research that will examine prospectively, in men and women, major psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). The hypotheses to be examined include: the influence of psychosocial work environment (job strain and shift work) on CHD risk; the relationship of psychological stress (in particular, phobic anxiety) to CHD risk; and the role of resistance resources (social networks and support in the work-place and at home) in moderating the association between psychosocial stressors and CHD risk. The investigations will be performed in two cohort studies with established track records of research in cardiovascular disease etiology: the Nurses' Health Study, consisting of 121,700 women aged 49 to 74 years; and the Health Professionals Followup Study, consisting of 51,529 men aged 48 to 83 years. The proposed research will be instrumental in establishing Dr. Kawachi's career as a researcher at the forefront of psychosocial research in cardiovascular disease. In addition, the research promises to advance the field in several important ways, including bringing a very large prospective cohort of women to a research area that has been dominated by data in men. If awarded the RCDA, Dr. Kawachi's immediate career plan is to refine the psychosocial components of the two ongoing cohort studies, and to initiate a series of investigations that will elucidate the major psychosocial determinants of cardiovascular disease. In the long term, Dr. Kawachi's career plan is to build on his successful collaborations with investigators in other disciplines - including physiology, psychology, and sociology - to develop a comprehensive program of cardiovascular research with an emphasis on prevention.