Academic leadership in the Biology of Aging and Cardiovascular Diseases



 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cardiovascular diseases are posing an increasing threat to the health of older people. However, how aging impacts cardiovascular disease remains unclear. A highly collaborative environment is required to unravel the complexities of this problem. The goal of this leadership award is to develop a world-class center on aging and cardiovascular diseases at Yale School of Medicine to foster highly productive research collaborations and to educate and train the next generation of leaders in this important field. The proposed Center would be the first of its kind in the nation and will be led by Dr. Goldstein, an established physician-scientist and cardiologist who investigates how aging impacts inflammation. The Center's specific goals will be addressed in the following three aims: (1) to bring together established investigators to broadly examine how increased inflammation with aging enhances cardiovascular diseases employing both pre-clinical models and clinical material; (2) to identify highly promising fellows and junior faculty and mentor them in research areas of Aim 1, in addition to providing them pilot research funds; and (3) to develop educational forums (e.g., a specific course on topics relevant to cardiovascular aging, and an annual symposium) to disseminate key insights that translate basic mechanisms to clinical medicine. Importantly, the Center will leverage infrastructure at the Yale School of Medicine, including the Pepper Center, Center for Clinical Investigation, and Investigative Medicine program. The long-term goals of the Center will be to obtain extramural funding for multi-investigator driven proposals as well as career development faculty grants and an institutional training grant to sustain the training of postdoctoral fellows. In summary, the proposed Center will be a new initiative for Yale and will serve as a beacon of excellence for investigators pursuing research into aging and cardiovascular diseases.