Training Program Overview

Since 1996, the Cardiovascular T32 (funded by NHLBI - T32HL007843) has been instrumental in training MD, PhD and MD/PhD fellows for careers in cardiovascular research.  Our training program incorporates the guiding principle that innovative biomedical research requires teams of investigators with diverse scientific backgrounds, areas of expertise, and perspectives.  Centered within the Penn Cardiovascular Institute and under the leadership of Drs. Thomas Cappola and Daniel P. Kelly, the program provides trainees with an environment focused on strong mentorship, rigorous scientific training, and exposure to cross-disciplinary interactions.  The core of our curriculum is a supervised research mentorship, which is supplemented with didactic classwork, lectures, seminars, skills classes, and Master’s level research training individualized to each trainee’s path.  The ultimate goal of the program is to prepare the trainee for a career that involves cardiovascular research.

Trainees follow one of three tracks:

  • Basic Research for trainees preparing for careers focused predominantly in basic cardiovascular science using laboratory approaches (Co-directors:  Rajan Jain and Mark Kahn)
  •  Clinical and Translational prepares for careers in research at the interface of laboratory science and clinical investigation (Co-directors:  Sharlene Day and Julio Chirinos)
  • Outcomes/ Health Services prepares trainees for research careers focus on healthcare policy and delivery in the population at large. (Co-directors:  Nimesh Desai and Peter Groeneveld)

Trainees may also pursue Master’s Degrees through the Biomedical Graduate Studies Program in Translational Research (MSTR), Health Policy (MSHP), and Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE).

evening image of two large connected buildings
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and Smilow Center for Translational Research 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Requirements and Objectives

  • 2 - 3 year mentored training period
  • Participation in an in-depth research project
  • Mandatory training in Rigor and Reproducibility, and Responsible Conduct of Research, and skills training in areas such as grantsmanship, manuscript writing, and seminar presentation
  • Research conference attendance (e.g. CVI Seminar and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Grand Rounds)
  • Participation in CVI Trainee Research in Progress (CVI TRIPS) and other trainee-related talks
  • Monthly trainee and mentor lunches

Mentors

A particular strength of our training program is the quality and diversity of faculty.  Mentors have primary academic appointments in an array of clinical and basic science departments including the Departments of Medicine; Surgery; Biostatics, Epidemiology, and Informatics; Emergency Medicine; GeneticsCell and Developmental Biology; Systems Pharmacology and TherapeuticsPhysiology; and Engineering. Dual mentorship is also possible for cross-disciplinary training. 

Current Mentors:

Zoltan Arany, MD PhD Garret FitzGerald, MD Mingyao Li, PhD Daniel Rader, MD
Pavan Atluri, MD Robert Gorman, MD Kenneth Margulies, MD Marylyn Ritchie, PhD
Thomas Cappola, MD Peter Groeneveld, MD Shana McCormack, MD MTR Marielle Scherrer-Crosbie, MD PhD
Jinbo Chen, PhD Marie Guerraty, MD PhD Raina Merchant, MD MSHP Nancy Speck, PhD
Julio Chirinos, MD PhD Rajan Jain, MD Edward Morrisey, MD Kevin Turner, PhD
Scott Damrauer, MD Mark Kahn, MD Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, MPH, ML Grace Wang, MD MSCE
Sharlene Day, MD Daniel P. Kelly, MD Saman Nazarian, MD PhD E. John Wherry, PhD
Nimesh Desai, MD PhD Bonnie Ky, MD MSCE Anjali Owens, MD Payman Zamani, MD MSTR
Jonathan Epstein, MD Mitchell Lazar, MD PhD Benjamin Prosser, PhD  

 

Trainees

The training grant currently maintains seven postdoctoral training slots, which support a mix of MD, PhD, and MD/PhD trainees.  Greater than 95% of trainees complete the program, with many obtaining advanced degrees.  We encourage those who are underrepresented in medicine to apply to our program. For more information, please contact emily.romick@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. 

 

Current Trainees

  • Deborah Eaton, PhD

    Deborah Eaton, PhD

    Clinical/ Translational
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    Edvard A. Gumbs, MD

    Outcomes/ Health Services
  • Sarah Sulon, PhD

    Sarah Sulon, PhD

    Basic Research
  • Wumesh Kc, MD PhD

    Wumesh Kc, MD PhD

    Basic Research
  • Benjamin Lee, MD PhD

    Benjamin Lee, MD PhD

    Basic Research
  • Photo Unavailable

    Michael Levin, MD

    Clinical and Translational
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    Martin Dominguez, MD PhD

    Basic Research

Contact

Emily Romick, T32 Administrative Coordinator

215-573-4717