Objectives

Specific Objectives and Areas of Emphasis

Specific Objectives

  • To train individuals to formulate, independently, a research question, and design and conduct a rigorous study to answer that question
  • To help individuals acquire the necessary methodological expertise across several disciplines (e.g., behavioral sciences, biostatistics, epidemiology, disease prevention, bioethics, policy) necessary for future investigative work
  • To expose individuals with a clinical background to the broad array of behavioral sciences, and to expose individuals with a behavioral science background to the intricacies of heart and vascular diseases
  • To train individuals to present and publish the results of their scholarly work
  • To teach individuals to appraise, critically, the scientific literature
  • To help individuals identify a focus for future research and scholarly work and to develop special investigative expertise related to it.
  • To train individuals to write a grant proposal according to the guidelines of the NIH or other potential funding agencies

Areas of Special Emphasis

The program has three primary behavioral science content emphases: Lifestyle and Behavior Change and Maintenance, Social and Cultural Factors, and Cognition/Neuropsychology of Heart and Vascular Diseases.

In addition, all fellows receive training and exposures in topics including:

  • Behavioral, psychosocial, and economic factors and mechanisms in cardiovascular health and illness
  • Risk factors: identification and modification
  • Novel risk factors and mechanisms
  • High blood pressure prevention and control
  • Diabetes prevention and control
  • Obesity, weight loss and weight loss maintenance
  • Social determinants of health: identification and intervention
  • Minority health: addressing gaps and disparities in health status
  • Women’s cardiovascular health
  • Methodologies for lifestyle/behavioral trials, community-based trials, and community-based participatory research
  • Systems and multi-level interventions for improving cardiovascular outcomes
  • Technologies for delivering lifestyle and behavioral interventions
  • Measurement and self-monitoring methods
  • Translation of research into practice and policy
  • Ethical issues

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