Overview
The goal of the Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Development Training Program at Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation is to enhance the professional development, research capability and interest of young scientists who have a fascination with the heart, lung or blood, and who desire to contribute to an understanding of the molecular and developmental basis of disorders of these systems.
The Program is focused on the development of the mammalian pulmonary and cardiovascular systems as well as developmental aspects of the hematopoietic system. There are two distinct but interrelated areas of research: reproduction and early embryogenesis, as well as organogenesis of the lung, heart and marrow systems.
Faculty in the Program are experts in a variety of aspects of pulmonary and cardiovascular development, and their areas of interest in the heart, lung, and blood include:
- developmental biology of pulmonary maturation and function
- the biology and genetics of blood coagulation
- the molecular mechanisms underlying tissue specific gene regulation at the level of transcription
- inflammatory mechanisms in the injured lung and vasculature
The Program is funded by a T32 NRSA Training Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and is under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Whitsett.
General Features of the Program
The foundation of the Training Program is scientific research. While trainees are officially part of the Training Program, they are expected to spend at least 85% of their time involved in research.
The Program emphasizes mechanistically based research in which the tools of contemporary biochemistry, molecular genetics, cell biology, and developmental biology are used. All Trainees are expected to advance our understanding of unsolved problems in areas relevant to NHLBI initiatives while supported by the Program.
In addition, all Trainees must participate fully in Training Program meetings and attend relevant seminars within several seminar series, including those offered by the Developmental Biology Program, as well as the Cardiology Distinguished Lecturers, Cystic Fibrosis Seminar Program, and Molecular Medicine Seminar Series.
