Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Research Training

Continuously funded since 1983, the Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine (CBM) Research Training Program (HL07560) provides multidisciplinary training in cardiovascular behavioral medicine research to postdoctoral and predoctoral trainees. The CBM Program trains clinical and translational scientists to conduct methodologically-rigorous and field-defining research at the interface of cardiovascular physiology, pathophysiology, and behavior to address the public health challenge of cardiovascular disease. The CBM Program fosters proficiency in four areas: (1) Principles of health behavior and behavior change, including an advanced theoretical and mechanistic understanding of behaviors impacting the development of cardiovascular disease; (2) Research methods and statistics, emphasizing design and execution of rigorous, transparent, and reproducible clinical research as well as advanced statistical techniques; (3) Cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology, including the physiologic mechanisms linking psychosocial and behavioral factors to cardiovascular disease; and (4) Cardiovascular diseases, including multilevel and lifecourse predictors of cardiovascular health across populations. By providing training in these areas, the CBM Program aligns closely with the NHLBI programmatic emphases for training and the NHLBI Strategic Vision for Research to fill an important niche in the NHLBI T32 portfolio. The CBM Program supports four predoctoral and four postdoctoral trainees annually, with a training duration of 2-3 years for each trainee. Guided by an individual development plan for each trainee, the program leverages team-based mentoring, multidisciplinary research training, and tailored didactics to equip trainees with the skills and experience needed to attain their career goals. Program Directors and Associate Directors are a highly experienced team with an extensive history of collaboration to support successful, coordinated program leadership. The CBM Program also benefits from CBM faculty members, who are an accomplished group spanning the Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Medicine, Health and Physical Activity, Bioengineering, and Epidemiology. The CBM program is further supported by a demonstrated institutional track record of multidisciplinary research and training orientated to rigor and transparency; multiple course offerings; and excellent research and training resources at the University of Pittsburgh. With these training goals and resources, the CBM Program is poised for continued success in meeting NHLBI’s goal of training a scientific workforce equipped with the research skills, knowledge, and resources to tackle future heart, lung, blood and sleep challenges.