The Cardiovascular Research Institute has been awarded a NHLBI-T32 Minority Institutional Training Program for both pre-doctoral and postdoctoral students at the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM). The fundamental rationale of this program is to address the gross under-representation of African-Americans in biomedical research careers. One of the most promising mechanisms for increasing the generation of minority students in biomedical science is to establish training programs at educational institutions that focus their primary mission on the higher education of minority students.

The long-term objective of the program is to create a training environment in which minority students are inspired and mentored towards the pursuit of careers as leaders in biomedical science. In particular, our focus is to augment the number of highly skilled investigators pursuing research related to cardiovascular science. The establishment of the NHLBI-funded Cardiovascular Research Institute under the direction of Dr. Gary H. Gibbons, provides a great opportunity to establish a first-rate training program in Cardiovascular Science. A major strength of the program is that it is situated within the preeminent center of higher education for African-Americans in the world [the Atlanta University Center includes the Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College and Clark Atlanta University]. The training program has a unique combination of programmatic strengths:

1. the abundance of talented minority undergraduates and the culture of excellence within the Atlanta University Center
2. the strategic plan for nurturing this invaluable human resource into future scientists
3. the quality of the research infrastructure and program faculty of the MSM
4. the strong academic leadership and track record of mentorship of the MSM faculty
5. this program's innovative, collegial and collaborative network of partnerships that includes: Emory University, the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Institute, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The training program for both pre-doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows will focus in the area of Cardiovascular Science. The emphasis on Cardiovascular Science establishes a thematic emphasis that will provide a consistent coherence to the educational experience. Although the training will focus on problems of relevance to cardiovascular science, it is self-evident that the general field of Cardiovascular Science encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and experimental approaches. Accordingly, our program faculty includes a wide diversity of expertise from a variety of fields. Similarly, the depth and breadth of the training experience will provide the tools of critical thinking and technical training necessary to pursue biomedical science in a wide variety of areas. In short, our programmatic focus is on cardiovascular science but our ultimate goal is to train leading investigators capable of discerning important questions and elucidating novel answers.

One of the strengths of this program is the quality and integrity of the collaborative partnerships that have been established with leading research organizations. A major bond within these partnerships is a shared commitment to mentoring minority trainees to pursue excellence in scientific investigation. This structure is based on the recognition that leading scientists in the 21st century are unlikely to function in isolation in single investigator laboratories within one department. There will be an increasing need to prepare trainees for a mode of scientific investigation that involves collaboration within multi-disciplinary teams of investigators. Moreover, we are entering a web-based world of communications in which science will be conducted by collaborations within "virtual" centers. Therefore, we have structured this program in a fashion that transcends conventional department barriers and geography. In addition to the strong base of research faculty at MSM, the program is further enriched by its consortium structure that includes talented faculty from Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Institute. The program is structured to establish the best working relationships with scientists who will enable our trainees to receive that best training experience possible. A major criterion for inclusion into this program focused on the faculty member's commitment to mentoring as well as the excellence of the research program in cardiovascular science.

One of the major transformations in biomedical science during the 21st century will involve the evolution of private-public partnerships necessary for the pursuit of cutting-edge research. It is now becoming evident that some of the most innovative research is being conducted in the context of the biotechnology industry. Similarly, it is clear that PhD students have career options that extend beyond the classic track of grant-supported positions in academia. Toward this end, we have established a research training partnership with Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., one of the preeminent biotechnology companies known for its high quality, innovative research.

It is anticipated that the collective effort of scientific leaders committed to the task, a program faculty devoted to mentorship and a superlative array of enriching research training opportunities will enable these talented minority students to achieve their highest potential as future investigators in cardiovascular science.