Vascular Surgery Fellowship 2017-2018

This two-year training program is designed for surgical residents in general surgery and vascular surgery and for PhDs with the goal of providing a seamless multidisciplinary environment in which the trainee may interact with a diverse group of distinguished research faculty. Trainees may select one of several tracks or a combination of tracks that meets their ultimate goals. The research tracks include (1) vascular biology with a basic science emphasis, (2) clinical research including outcome studies, (3) biomedical devices, or (4) an integrated program.In this program of mentored research, the trainee will work daily in the primary mentor’s lab or office on a specific project. The program is supplemented by specific coursework given in the evenings. This system allows for uninterrupted time to perform experiments, library research, data collection, and analysis. The trainee will have access to secondary mentors for additional technical expertise or advice. Thus, there is a synergistic process as mentors translate classroom teaching into real-life research projects. In addition, the trainees will be embedded in the mentors’ laboratories and/or offices – learning along with other trainees, postdocs, and research associates.The curriculum is individualized to meet the needs of the trainee. The mentor and trainee will begin with a needs assessment as trainees from diverse backgrounds will have differing needs. Next, the trainee, mentor, and Program Directors will agree upon an Independent Development Program and create a Learning Contract. We have used this scheme for the past 5 years and have found it very useful to evaluate trainee progress and mentor activities. The Learning Contract and Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a template modeled after IDPs from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Scripps, and Vanderbilt University Biomedical Research Education and Training. The curriculum will be agreed upon by the trainee, mentor, and