US Ten Day Seminar on the Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke

About This Grant

This proposal requests sponsorship for the 50th U.S. Ten-Day Seminar. Given the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke, it is highly appropriate to conduct professional training on epidemiology and prevention. The goals of this proposal align with the NHLBI’s Strategic Vision which seeks to “further develop, diversify, and sustain a scientific workforce capable of accomplishing the NHLBI’s mission.” Training of such a workforce is a key element of the country’s readiness to address the health challenges posed by CVD and the readiness to advance multi-component strategies that promote cardiovascular health (CVH). A prepared workforce will need research competencies in epidemiology and biostatistics, quality of care, and policy and environmental approaches to health promotion and disease prevention. Further, authoritative health agencies and prominent scientists have noted an increasing need for professionals who understand methods related to e-cohorts, large practical clinical trials, dissemination and implementation research, and big data analytics. Scientists will also need expertise in cost-effectiveness research, epigenetics, and biomedical informatics. This Seminar can uniquely contribute to training scientists who can integrate evidence across all of these fields and translate research findings into effective and impactful policy and practice. We seek primary sponsorship from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and if we receive a meritorious score we will request co-funding from NIDDK, NINDS, the NIH Office of Disease Prevention, and the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Other funders/partners for the Seminar are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (faculty, in-kind), and the American Heart Association (council budgets). We will do the following to assure the successful conduct of the Seminar: 1. We will continue to attract a faculty with both the knowledge of relevant content and the personal teaching skills required for the effective conduct of this program, with a continuing emphasis on the recruitment of faculty who work across the nation in the most successful teaching and research programs in CVD epidemiology; 2. We will continue to adapt program content to maintain its relevance to the training needs of the nation for health professionals with appropriate career interests, while maintaining a consistent central focus on the foundational methods in cardiovascular disease epidemiology; 3. We will continue to disseminate information about this program to appropriate groups, using the most effective current strategies for reaching those most committed to the discipline; and 4. We will continue to broaden the recruitment of participants through AHA Scientific Councils, past participants, and organizations focused on the epidemiology and prevention of CVD.