Main Activities

  • An advanced research project under the mentorship and direction of an established NIH-funded investigator
  • Regular presentations of their “Work-in-Progress” in a seminar series to help them gauge their research project, develop presentation skills, provide them with guidance, and allow for interaction between the trainees
  • A new, highly-praised, “Advanced Career Development” curriculum, which builds a clear understanding of responsibilities and career opportunities, and offers insights into ways to optimize a career in the biomedical sciences
  • Unique “Affinity Research Collaborative” (ARC) programs, which provide trainees with an integrative multidisciplinary approach to research and allows interaction between the different laboratories
  • A mentorship program that includes both formal (documented) and informal assessment of a trainees’ progress
  • Postdoctoral workshops through a newly created Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, which helps to prepare trainees for a career in the biomedical sciences

Required Classes, Lectures, and Seminars

  • Ethics in science: BUMC offers a series of classes about Responsible Conduct in Research. The series consists of four two- hour classes:  two are offered in the fall semester and 2 are offered in the spring semester. Trainees are required to attend all 4 classes (in any order). Please refer to the following website for more information. http://www.bu.edu/orc/rcr/
  • Lectures: A series of 10-12 seminars per year presented by Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, invited speakers who are leading world experts in different fields of cardiovascular research, a list of current lectures will be posted shortly
  • Seminars: A series of Work in Progress (WIP) seminars will be presented by the fellows in the program. This is a 30-40 minute talk (one hour in your last year of the program) designed for advancement of  presentation skills and to get a feedback/advice/suggestions from all members of the CVI about your project.

    Optional Classes, Lectures, and Seminars

    • Seminars: There are many unique opportunities, which can be found via the Evan’s Center and the ARC program. The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute Seminar Series consists of invited lecturers from different institutions speaking  about their current research. This series occurs every week and trainees are required to attend.  Each year, as part of this Seminar Series, every fellow presents a “Work in Progress (WIP)” lecture, as mentioned above. Following every WIP seminar, faculty advisors and the fellows gather for dessert to discuss research, careers, and many topics of interest in an informal setting.
    • The Boston University Post-Doctoral office offers a wide variety of classes. BUSM offers a very successful centralized Postdoctoral Program that is open to all trainees on the campus http://www.bu.edu/research/information-for/professional-development-postdoctoral-affairs/ .This program, offers classes on many different subjects that are important for professional growth and development, which we strongly recommend to all trainees to attend. The classes include: Grant writing, paper writing, trainee/mentor relationships, industry opportunities, and other opportunities