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Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program in Women's Cardiovascular Health

Program Overview & Objectives

The objective of the UCSD Strategically Focused Women's Cardiovascular Health Research Center Fellowship is to train highly qualified investigators with backgrounds in the biologic, medical, natural or social sciences so that they can apply tools from across disciplines to address the complex challenge of reducing the untoward affects of sedentary behavior among women.

Specific objectives include provisions for:

  1. Appropriate didactic coursework that will allow the trainee to gain the methodologic and analytic skills necessary for conducting rigorous research across the spectrum of sedentary behavior and women's health research
  2. Experiential training on the formulation and conduct of evidence-based studies
  3. Development of an independent research project
  4. Preparation for a career in academic medicine.

Even though each fellow will be assigned to the specific project that corresponds to their primary discipline and research focus, the training program will be standardized across all disciplines. Additionally, all fellows will be assigned a primary and secondary mentor to oversee the progress in completing the program requirements. Of note, as the UCSD Center is one of five centers comprising the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Research Network, the fellow will be afforded with ample opportunities for collaboration with the other centers in the network (Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University and University of Pittsburgh).

Upon completion of the program, we anticipate that the fellows will have mastered the skills required for entry-level positions across a diverse range of academic departments. Our vision is that most will continue to pursue careers as independent investigators focusing on evidence-based research on sedentary behavior and/or cardiovascular disease prevention.

Number of Postdoctoral Fellows: 3

Training Duration: 2 years

Training Program Director

Matthew Allison, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA
Email: mallison@ucsd.edu

Training Program Coordinator

Nova Barkley
Phone: 858-534-3722
Email: nsbarkley@ucsd.edu

Program Competencies

The trainees will be expected to have acquired the following competencies by the end of the program:

Knowledge

  1. To appreciate the burden encumbered by sedentary behavior in women (SBW)
  2. To understand the multi-factorial risks associated with the development of SBW
  3. To learn the different modalities for measuring the degree of CVD risk from SBW
  4. To learn the basic, clinical and population science approaches to SBW research
  5. To develop an awareness of potential ethnic and cultural differences in the risk for SBW
  6. To know the fundamental techniques in epidemiology and biostatistics for investigations

Skills

  1. To be able to conduct systematic literature reviews using electronic media
  2. To become competent in reviewing and critiquing the published peer reviewed literature
    skilled at conducting statistical analyses within the context of specific research aims
  3. To cultivate a research project that is independent of the mentor's
  4. To develop and prepare scientific manuscripts
  5. To prepare and submit a grant application
  6. To learn the skills requisite for collaboration and conducting multidisciplinary research

Attitudes and Behavior

  1. To become dedicated to research focused on SB and/or CVD prevention in women
  2. To pursue collaborations that foster multidisciplinary women's health research
  3. To recognize the importance of evidence-based research for preventing SBW
  4. To strive for incremental levels of career independence
  5. To be exposed to the roles, values and ethical standards of independent investigators

Program Outcomes

By the end of the program, all fellows are expected to achieve the following outcomes:

  1. Complete appropriate didactic training
  2. Collaborate with a mentor on ongoing research project
  3. Develop and conduct an independent research project
  4. Manage their own dataset or data from an existing project
  5. Conduct a statistical analysis of original data or a secondary analysis of existing data
  6. Develop, write and submit two abstracts for presentation at national scientific meetings
  7. Develop, write and submit three manuscripts for publication in the peer-reviewed literature
  8. Critique four published peer reviewed articles
  9. Present the results of their research annually to the EC
  10. Develop, write and submit a grant proposal for extramural support

Didactic Training Resources