The goal of the Cardiovascular Research Training Program (CRTP) is to provide outstanding training in basic cardiovascular research to promising pre-doctoral students and highly qualified MD or PhD postdoctoral fellows. The program includes 29 senior trainers and 8 junior trainers from 6 PhD programs and 4 clinical divisions at Case Western Reserve University.
Training focuses on relating the basic approaches of molecular and cellular biology, physiology, biophysics, biomedical engineering and imaging to mechanistic questions and problems pertinent to the cardiovascular system in health and disease, with particular emphasis on:
- Cardiovascular metabolism and inflammation
- Cardiac function, failure, and arrhythmia
- Vascular pathophysiology
- Cardiovascular tissue engineering and imaging.
The majority of student recruitment is through the Medical Scientist and Biomedical Sciences Training Programs and includes a strong commitment to the recruitment of women and under-represented minorities. Pre-doctoral training is accomplished in PhD programs in Biomedical Engineering, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, Pathology, and Physiology & Biophysics.
The basic coursework and guided training in research skills provided by these departmental programs is supplemented and enhanced by CRTP-specific components. These include completion of a required graduate course in Cardiovascular Physiology, an exciting Immersion Experience in Cardiovascular Healthcare, and participation in a weekly seminar series, a monthly journal club and an annual CVRI research retreat. A CRTP faculty committee that includes senior trainers and junior trainers, who are developing independent programs in cutting-edge areas of cardiovascular research, mentor each trainee.
Postdoctoral trainees, including physicians from the Harrington Physician Scientist Pathway, are appointed via their recruitment to CRTP trainer labs and will also participate in the Cardiovascular Healthcare Immersion, CVRI seminars, retreats and the mentoring process. In total, the CVRI fills 8 positions (4 pre-doctoral and 4 postdoctoral) per year.