Program Directors: Jeanne DeCara, MD, Yoav Gilad, PhD (Contact PI), Hae Kyung Im, PhD, and Ivan Moskowitz, MD-PhD
Administrator: Michele O'Neill
Phone: 4-0415
Openings: 4 Predoctoral, 5 Postdoctoral
The Cardiovascular Sciences Training Program is dedicated to preparing the next generation of scientists who aim to understand the normal and abnormal function of the heart and vascular system. Heart and vascular diseases remain a leading killer of Americans, and therefore, we need to have investigators who are well trained in this field. As cardiovascular disease has evolved and our understanding of it has changed, we have added mentors who are experts in bioinformatics and systems analysis to take better advantage of large biomedical data sets that will help us better diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease. The postdoctoral trainees who participate in the CSTP include both M.D. and Ph.D. trainees.
The M.D. trainees are physician scientists most commonly recruited from the Cardiology Fellowship Program at the University of Chicago, and the Ph.D. trainees have received their graduate degrees in diverse areas and seek additional training in the cardiovascular sciences. The CSTP also supports pre-doctoral training. As many graduate students do not declare an interest in Cardiovascular Science until the end of the second year, the CSTP typically supports students between the second and fifth years of training unless there is a clear intention to perform cardiovascular research earlier.
The CSTP offers training in six core components from 43 highly accomplished mentors:
1) Molecular Cardiology and Cell Signaling
2) Genetics/Genomics of the Cardiovascular System
3) Development, Stem Cell Biology & Regeneration
4) Cardiovascular Imaging and Translational Biology
5) Vascular Biology & Inflammation
6) Systems Biology and Bioinformatics
Participants in this training program receive didactic, laboratory-based, ethics, and analytic training in order to prepare for careers in cardiovascular research.