Unliquidated Obligations for NRSA T32: Research Training in Muscle Biology of Cardiopulmonary System

The current program trains predoctoral and medical students for research on cardiac, respiratory skeletal, and smooth muscle biology in the context of cardiopulmonary disease. The University of Kentucky (UK) is ideally suited for the program. UK is a public research institution with 33,692 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,920 faculty members, extramural research support of $290 million in 2006, and a medical center comprising six different health-related Colleges. A recently-adopted strategic plan calls for rapid growth of UK research via added faculty, expanded graduate programs, and new research facilities. Within this dynamic academic environment, the UK program for Research Training in Muscle Biology of Cardiopulmonary Disease will builds on institutional strengths to train exceptional students for careers in basic and translational research. In a highly-selective vethng process, program leadership will identify and recruit the best-qualified applicants for participation in two elite programs. Graduate students from eight different PhD programs will compete for two-year, full-time appointments in the Postdoctoral Scholar program. A similar competition will identify research-oriented medical students for an eight-week Summer Scholar program. Both groups of Scholars will be mentored by twenty-two faculty members from ten basic science and clinical departments. Multidisciplinary mentoring teams will train Scholars in relevant areas of cardiac, vascular smooth, and respiratory skeletal muscle biology. lndMdualized curricula will combine coursework, laboratory training, and a structured clinical experience to achieve three specific aims: 1.) To prepare basic scientists at the predoctoral level for successful long-term careers in cardiopulmonary research; 2.) To engage predoctoral medical students in a summer laboratory experience that stimulates ongoing interest in basic and translational research; and 3.) To foster excellence in the mentoring skills of both program faculty and predoctoral scholars.