CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Training Program – Award #T32HL160526
Program Director: Dr. James Luketich
Program Co-Directors: Dr. Julie Phillippi and Dr. David Vorp
Associate Program Directors: Dr. Vera Donnenberg and Dr. Matthew Schuchert
Program Coordinator: Angela Kinnunen
About the Training Program:
The University of Pittsburgh’s Cardiothoracic Surgery T32 Training Program was established with the goal of equipping the next generation of academic cardiac and thoracic surgeons with a strong foundation of training in research, and the skills required to create collaborative partnerships in an academic setting. The program’s overarching long-term objective is to increase the pool of competitive cardiothoracic surgeons who are well-positioned to achieve career development milestones and secure K- and R-awards as faculty. Appointed T32 trainees will benefit from a stable and supportive infrastructure of research training and an invaluable mentorship experience with the support of program leadership and administration.
Eligibility:
Only candidates who are U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents of the U.S. are eligible to apply to the T32 Training Grant.
Application Process:
With the assistance of their primary mentor, candidates will submit an application for T32 support that must include the following sections:
1. Proposed mentoring team
2. Abstract of proposed research project
3. Information on Human Subjects Research or Vertebrate Animals (if applicable)
4. Other active or pending sources of funding for the proposed project
5. Description of the applicant’s prior research training and future career goals
6. Description of applicant’s education goals
7. Letter of support from primary mentor
8. Applicant’s CV
Application Deadline: For priority consideration, please submit your application by April 1st, annually .
Please contact the Program Directors with any questions related to the T32 Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Training Program via email. Direct inquiries to phillippija@upmc.edu.
Prospective applicants may also click here for additional information.
Selection Process of T32 Trainees:
Criteria for evaluation of prospective applications will include:
1. Potential of the candidate for an academic-investigative career in cardiothoracic surgery (emphasis on this criterion)
2. Availability of appropriate mentorship
3. Project feasibility
4. Potential impact of proposed research in cardiothoracic surgery
5. Relevance to NHLBI mission
6. Holistic metrics, including cultural diversity and balancing the candidate’s academic metrics with background, experiences, and attributes
Applicants must plan to address a cardiothoracic surgery-related research question within the current NHLBI research priorities: 1) Normal cardiothoracic biology, 2) Pathobiology, onset and progression of cardiothoracic diseases, 3) Population differences in cardiothoracic diseases, 4) Precision medicine, 5) Novel diagnostics and therapeutics, 6) Clinical implementation of novel surgical approaches, 7) Data science, and 8) Workforce and resources for cardiothoracic surgeons.
Training Tracks and Establishing a Mentoring Team
The Cardiothoracic Surgery T32 Program encompasses three tracks, each with respective faculty mentors:
1. Clinical Outcomes and Population Studies
2. Disease Pathophysiology
3. Surgical Innovations
Upon appointment, each T32 trainee will assemble a multidisciplinary mentoring team of three faculty with guidance from the Program Directors and Associate Directors, as well as with approval from the Internal Advisory Committee. The composition of the mentoring team will depend on the selected training track and will include one primary mentor, one career development advisor, and one basic-translational scientist or bioengineer. At least one member of the mentoring team must be faculty within the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Faculty Mentors:
Michael Becich, MD, PhD
Tulia Bruno, PhD
Keith Cook, PhD
Rajeev Dhupar, MD
Vera Donnenberg, PhD
William Federspiel, PhD
Adam Feinberg, PhD
Delphine Gomez, PhD
Kimberly Howard-Quijano, MD
David Kaczorowski, MD
Udai Kammula, MD
James D. Luketich, MD
Arjun Pennathur, MD
Julie Phillippi, PhD
Pablo Sanchez, MD, PhD
Matthew Schuchert, MD
Adam Soloff, PhD
Cynthia St. Hilaire, PhD
Ibrahim Sultan, MD
David Vorp, PhD
William Wagner, PhD
Brian Zuckerbraun, MD
Career Development Advisors:
Omar Awais, MD
Johannes Bonatti, MD
Danny Chu, MD
Evan Facher, PhD
Olivera Finn, PhD
James Herman, MD
Daniel Kass, MD
Michael Lotze, MD
Victor Morell, MD
Kentaro Noda, PhD
Daniel Normolle, PhD
Diane Strollo, MD
Past T32 Scholars:
Faaz Ashraf, MBBS
Rachel Deitz, MD, MPH
Bryant Fisher, MD
Current T32 Scholars:
Mohamed Abdullah, MD, PhD
Yeahwa Hong, MD, PhD
Please contact the Program Directors with any questions related to the T32 Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Training Program via email. Direct inquiries to phillippija@upmc.edu.