Pediatric Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research Training Program

Project period	February 2015 – February 2025
Predoc slots	2
Postdoc slots	4

This training program is designed to attract and train both predoctoral and postdoctoral investigators in basic investigation of childhood diseases related to cardiovascular and pulmonary biology. The need for a training program in the cellular/molecular basis of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, especially of physician-scientists interested in childhood diseases, is based upon clear evidence of a small, national pool of such individuals as faculty or trainees.

Our program is designed to address this need from two important perspectives

• to allow pediatric and other clinical fellows, with an interest in basic research, to develop research competence and career training;
• to attract and train talented basic scientists to study mechanisms related to childhood diseases.

In addition to continuing our strong training in developmental/cell biology and the molecular basis of disease, our program takes advantage of institutional strengths in genetics, stem cell biology, genomics, and bioinformatics—all of which are components of the foundation of modern research. We have adopted a training curriculum for four postdoctoral and two predoctoral fellows with an uninterrupted two to three year block of full-time investigation. This is combined with an integrated and multidisciplinary set of didactic seminars, journal clubs, and formal courses that are selected by the trainee in consultation with the mentor/program administrators to provide individualized education in key aspects of cardiopulmonary development and disease.

Our objectives are:

• to provide extensive mentoring to the trainee for career development and for developing independent research plans that focus on pediatric diseases;
• to promote training in basic cell and molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics together with clinical translational research;
• to guide the trainees’ development so that, after the completion of training, successful competition for independent funding is likely.

Principal Investigators/Program Directors

Mentors

Program Faculty	Department or Institution	Role in Program
Blumer, Kendall	Cell Biology and Physiology	Mentor
Boon, Jacco	Medicine / Infectious Diseases	Mentor
Bubeck-Wardenburg, Juliane	Pediatrics / Critical Care	Mentor, PD
Choi, Kyunghee	Pathology and Immunology	Mentor
Cole, F. Sessions	Pediatrics/ Genetic & Genomics	Mentor
Dickson, Patricia	Medicine / Cardiology (Genetics)	Mentor
Dinauer, Mary	Pediatrics / Hematology	Mentor
Dutcher, Susan	Genetics (Cell Biology and Physiology)	Mentor
Gelman, Andrew	Surgery	Mentor
Greenberg, Michael J.	Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics	Mentor
Halabi, Carmen	Pediatrics / Nephrology	Mentor
Holtzman, Michael	Medicine / Pulmonary	Mentor
Horani, Amjad	Pediatrics / Allergy, Immun & Pulmonary	Mentor
Hotchkiss, Richard	Anesthesiology	Mentor
Hruska, Keith	Pediatrics / Nephrology	Mentor
Khaber, Shabaana	Molecular Microbiology	Mentor
Lavine, Kory	Medicine / Cardiology	Mentor, PD
Mecham, Robert	Cell Biology and Physiology	Mentor
Milbrant, Jeffrey	Genetics	Mentor
Morris, Samantha	Developmental  Biology	Mentor
Nerbonne, Jeanne	Developmental Biology	Mentor / Executive Committee
Nichols, Colin	Cell Biology and Physiology	Mentor
Ornitz, David	Developmental Biology	Mentor / Executive Committee
Ortinau, Cindy	Pediatric / Newborn Medicine	Mentor
Philips, Jennifer	Molecular Microbiology	Mentor
Province, Michael	Genetics	Mentor
Randolph, Gwendalyn	Pathology / Immunology	Mentor
Rentschler, Stacey	Medicine / Cardiovascular	Mentor
Rosen, David	Pediatrics / Infectious Diseases	Mentor
Solnica-Krezek, Lilianna	Developmental Biology	Mentor
Stallings, Christina	Molecular Microbiology	Mentor
Steed, Ashley	Pediatrics / Critical Care	Mentor
Stratman, Amber	Cell Biology & Physiology	Mentor
Wagenseil, Jessica	Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science	Mentor
Yoo, Andrew	Developmental Biology	Mentor