WUSTL Transdisciplinary Pre- and Postdoctoral Training Program in Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease
Project Number5T32HL130357-09
Contact PI/Project LeaderWILFLEY, DENISE ELLA
Awardee OrganizationWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Description
Abstract Text
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The complexities of biological, behavioral, social, and environmental risk factors for obesity and cardiovascular
disease (CVD) necessitate team science, capable of crossing the boundaries of disciplinary-specific silos to
conduct and evaluate research from a transdisciplinary approach to prevent and treat obesity and CVD across
the lifespan. Efforts to facilitate greater collaboration among scientists trained across many fields and levels of
training are not only valuable but also essential to solving such complex problems. Thus, we propose to continue
an innovative, transdisciplinary pre- and postdoctoral training program in obesity and CVD at Washington
University in St. Louis (WUSTL). WUSTL is an excellent research institution promoting transdisciplinary,
translational research through its unique, collegial, scientific environment across campuses and departments.
This program: 1) recruits and trains talented transdisciplinary pre- and postdoctoral trainees; 2) provides trainees
with collaborative, transdisciplinary mentorship teams; 3) targets diversity in the future scientific workforce; and
4) provides training in the ethical and socially responsible conduct of obesity/CVD research. International
authorities on obesity, Denise Wilfley, PhD (Director) and Samuel Klein, MD (Co-Director), lead the program,
supported by highly- qualified, primary and co-mentors spanning 12 departments in the biomedical, cognitive and
behavioral, and population health sciences. Our mentors are well-funded and have strong collaborative ties to
facilitate the training of 4 pre- and 4 postdoctoral trainees each year. Combining pre- and postdoctoral trainees
from diverse backgrounds (e.g., genetics, molecular cell biology, psychology, social work, public heath, and
neurosciences) has created and will continue to create a uniquely dynamic training environment. The WUSTL
Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences, Institute for Public Health,
and Center for Diabetes Translation Research provide infrastructure and state-of-the-art resources to support
trainees' engagement in transformative, translational science. Program evaluations completed by trainees,
program administration, and collaborative mentorship teams ensure trainees achieve short- and long-term
indicators of productivity positioning them for success in obtaining academic positions and independent grants.
Indeed, postdoctoral graduates of the program have been highly successful in obtaining academic positions
and grant funding, and in the case of our predoctoral trainees, continuing their research training in prestigious
positions. The Diversity Advisory Committee informs our approach in the recruitment and retention of highly
qualified trainees from diverse backgrounds. Not only is our training program innovative in its design, but
using a team science approach guided by stellar mentors, our trainees are prepared to create and
contribute to transdisciplinary scientific approaches that are more likely to yield innovative solutions to the
complex problems of obesity and CVD than research previously conducted by individual scientists within a
single disciplinary field.
Public Health Relevance Statement
PROJECT NARRATIVE
Obesity is an area of critical public health concern, as it is associated with significant cardiovascular health risks
and the onset of cardiovascular disease; as such, the National Institutes of Health has called for an acceleration
of efforts to combat these problems from a multi-level, transdisciplinary perspective. In response to this
significant public health priority, this training program, housed within Washington University in St. Louis, a world-
class research institution with state-of-the-art resources, has recruited and will continue to recruit highly-qualified
pre- and postdoctoral trainees from diverse backgrounds across disciplines and placed them within
transdisciplinary mentoring teams with faculty members who are leading researchers in the fields of obesity and
cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment. These training experiences are producing a diverse cohort of
young scientists with the transdisciplinary research skills necessary to address the complex problems of obesity
and cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment across the lifespan.
No Sub Projects information available for 5T32HL130357-09
Publications
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Outcomes
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