The Penn CVI Approach
The University of Pennsylvania Cardiovascular Institute (Penn CVI) was
established
by mandate of the Dean of the School of Medicine in 2005, to build
bridges between basic and translational cardiovascular scientists and
clinical investigators at the University of Pennsylvania in order to
generate transformational discoveries that will impact directly on
cardiovascular health and disease.
Over the past decade Cardiovascular
research and clinical care at the University of Pennsylvania has grown
tremendously with many nationally and internationally recognized research
and clinical programs. Every year since 2003, the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine has received over $50 million in funding from the
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
To promote multidisciplinary investigation focused in
key strategic areas bridging basic science and clinical investigation, the
Penn CVI is organized into six Research Program Units. The Penn CVI also
sponsors educational activities focused in the general areas of cardiovascular
biology and medicine to physicians, students and the general community.
Our Mission
Promotes transformational discoveries in cardiovascular biology and medicine.
Translates discoveries in cardiovascular science and technology into innovative
strategies to prevent, diagnose, treat and ultimately cure cardiovascular diseases.
Fosters education in cardiovascular biology and medicine to physicians, students and the general community.
Creates a culture within the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine where patient care, research and education
within the broad area of cardiovascular biology and medicine are seamlessly integrated.
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Creating Knowledge by Building Bridges
The Penn CVI builds
bridges between basic and translational cardiovascular scientists
and clinical investigators at the University of Pennsylvania in order
to generate transformational discoveries that will impact directly
on cardiovascular health and disease at the onset of the new millennium.
The strategic focus and direction of the Penn CVI is overseen by the
CVI Internal Advisory Committee that
includes senior faculty members from multiple Departments, Centers, Institutes
and Schools at the University of Pennsylvania.
Despite remarkable advances in understanding the genetic and environmental
causes of cardiovascular disease over the past fifty years, heart and
vascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in western societies. Moreover,
with aging of the population and the explosion of obesity and diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases are projected to become the leading cause of death
on a worldwide basis for the first time in the history of the human species
by the year 2020.
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Pioneering Research in Cardiovascular Biology, Medicine, and Surgery
The University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine has a long and storied tradition
of pioneering research in cardiovascular biology, medicine and surgery.
Over the past decade, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
has established nationally recognized research programs in molecular cardiology,
atherobiology and lipidology, thrombosis and haemostasis, cardiac electrophysiology
and bioengineering. Over the same period, Penn Medicine and Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia have established nationally recognized cardiovascular
clinical programs in cardiac electrophysiology, heart failure and transplantation,
preventive cardiology and lipid management, complex aortic and valvular
heart disease, congenital heart disease, vascular surgery, interventional
cardiology and cardiovascular imaging. The overall goal of the Penn Cardiovascular
Institute is to leverage this basic and clinical expertise in cardiovascular
biology and medicine to promote discovery.
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To promote multidisciplinary collaborative teams of investigators focused
in key strategic areas bridging basic science and clinical investigation, the Penn CVI is organized into six research program units:
Each program unit brings together basic, translational and
clinical investigators working to translate basic discoveries
into novel preventive strategies, diagnostic modalities and
treatments for cardiovascular diseases. The program
units sponsor a variety of activities intended to promote
this goal, including CVI seminars, journal clubs,
and working meetings to plan new collaborative projects. In
addition, the CVI sponsors strategically-targeted CVI
pilot grants rected toward the goal of submitting multi-disciplinary
program project, SCCOR and NIH Roadmap type grants.
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Collaboration / Collaborative Spaces
A critical component of the Penn CVI is faculty members
performing cardiovascular research are geographically
contiguous (whenever possible) in adjacent spaces that serve as cardiovascular centers-of-excellence on the
Penn medical campus.
The state-of-the-art Biomedical
Research Building II/III on the Penn Medical campus is home
of the Penn CVI Administrative Team and contains
laboratories and core facilities dedicated to basic and translational
cardiovascular research. Because of obvious programmatic
synergies, the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (IDOM) will be relocated to the 7th floor of the BRB II/III and the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) is located on the 8th floor of BRB II/III. Together, these three recently established Institutes will work together
to promote transformational discoveries in cardiovascular and metabolic/diabetic disease.
Cardiovascular research programs and collaborations located
outside BRB II/III also fall under the Penn CVI umbrella including
investigators in the Departments of: Cell and Developmental
Biology, Physiology, Genetics, Pharmacology, Medicine, Surgery, Radiology, Anesthesia, Pediatrics and the
Institute for Medicine and Engineering (IME) and the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB).
Each of these
centers, institutes and departments has a strong focus in cardiovascular research. In addition, close collaborations have been established with
clinical investigators at the Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
(CHOP) in order to facilitate translational and clinical
research studies.
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Penn CVI Core Laboratories have been established that are available
to faculty members of the Penn CVI performing basic, translational
and clinical research. The Molecular Cardiology and
Translational core facilities are located on the 9th and
10th floors of the BRBII/III building.
Penn CVI Core Laboratories include:
Histology, Transgenic/ES cell, Mouse Cardiovascular Physiology and Myocyte Function, Mouse Electrophysiology and Cardiovascular Genetics and Genomics.
Special core facilities have been constructed to promote translational
research studies using large animal models of cardiovascular
disease. These facilities and faculty members participating
in these programs were established to build a bridge to the
pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The
Penn Laboratory for Preclinical Cardiology (PLPC) is
a good laboratory practices (GLP)-certified large animal interventional cardiology
laboratory that contains a state-of-the-art digital cardiac catheterization suite.
It is located in the basement of the BRBII/III building. Faculty
members and trainees in the Penn Cardiac Electrophysiology
program perform proof-of-concept studies in the Penn Experimental
Electrophysiology Laboratory that is located in the Medical
Science Research Laboratories Building on the Penn-Presbyterian
medical campus.
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The CVI sponsors a diverse calendar of activities,
including weekly CV Grand Rounds, and
a
CVI Seminar Series which hosts nationally recognized experts
performing molecular, translational and clinical cardiovascular research.
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The Penn CVI also promotes educational programs in
cardiovascular biology and medicine to physicians, students and the general
community. This includes the Penn CVI NIH sponsored
Training Program in Cardiovascular Biology and
Medicine and the CCEB-sponsored Training Program
in Clinical Cardiology and Pulmonary Research." Penn CVI faculty
members lecture and oversee Cardiovascular Workshops as part
of the Cardiovascular Block of Curriculum 2000, the
undergraduate medical student core curriculum.
Penn CVI faculty members direct
ABIM-accredited fellowship training programs in
Cardiovascular Medicine, Cardiac Electrophysiology and Interventional Cardiology
as well as Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery. In addition, CVI
faculty members direct multiple CME courses focused
on multiple topics relevant to cardiovascular medicine and cardiothoracic surgery.
CVI faculty members also present lectures on cardiovascular health
and disease to interested patients in the community at our
outpatient satellite practices at Penn Medicine at Radnor
and Penn Medicine at Cherry Hill.
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