Pediatric Cardiorespiratory Research Training Program: Childhood origins of diseases across the lifespan.

The goal of this application is to create a new T32 mentored training program, Pediatric Cardiorespiratory Research Training Program: Childhood origins of diseases across the lifespan for Pediatrics fellows and PhD scientists who possess both the aptitude and passion to become a new generation of basic, translational, and clinical scientists. The overarching goal is to provide a nurturing mentored environment for fellows for 2 years (with an optional 3rd year) of highly rigorous research training to facilitate successful transition to a subsequent appointment as tenure track faculty. The ultimate goal is to expand the pipeline of those achieving independence as clinician-scientists. Each fellow investigator participates in workshops, may complete a Master’s program (MSCI,MPH, MSACI), and leverages VUMC societies for clinician-scientist development, and will develop and complete a mentored research project in an area of focus consistent with the missions of NHLBI. Investigation may be basic, translational, clinical, or population health. This training program will have 2 training slots per year at any given time to support fellows for a minimum of 80% protected research time for at least 2 years. There is a formal program selection process to identify the most competitive applicants. The program will provide intense scientific mentorship and personalized career development. The fellows will have access to a cadre of >26 carefully selected preceptors with sustained NIH funding coupled with successful track records of mentoring early career scholars. Each fellow will have a personalized Scholarly Oversight Committee to assist in achieving program goals, to provide independent evaluation of their progress, and to develop, advise on, and track their career development plan. Assessment of fellows includes competency-based milestone assessments. There will be equally rigorous mentor and program assessments. Key outcomes for the program include: Academic productivity (presentations, peer-review publications, grants and rates (and success) of appointment to early career academic faulty positions, and applications for initial individual K career development awards. Long-term follow-up of all fellows will be performed using FlightTracker and through personal contact. The Department Pediatrics is fully integrated into the Vanderbilt School of Medicine and Medical Center and consistently ranks in the top 10 in NIH funding. All departments, hospitals, research laboratories and core facilities reside on a single campus offering an integrated research environment for early career clinician-scientists. Our proposal is consistent with the NHLBI’s current Strategic Vision Statement.