Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology & Prevention Fellowship

At the time of appointment, applicants must have a doctoral degree. MD candidates must have an interest in pursuing a research career in cardiovascular medicine or a related clinical field. PhD applicants should have degrees in the fields of epidemiology, biostatistics, nutrition or other relevant areas. The applicant must be eligible to work in the United States (citizen or permanent resident) at the time of application. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

Fellows are typically appointed for two or three years.

Effective with all Kirschstein-NRSA awards made on or after Oct. 1, 2020, the following annual stipend levels apply to all individuals receiving support through institutional research training grants or individual fellowships, including the Minority Access to Research Career and Career Opportunities in Research programs. These awards are made under the authority of Section 487 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

Stipend Levels for FY21

Tuition, books, fees, a professional travel allowance and certain other research-related expenses are covered by the program. All postdoctoral fellows receive health insurance benefits through Northwestern University.

Interested candidates should email carnethon@northwestern.edu for program inquiries.

Applications are currently being accepted on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Priority will be given to applications submitted prior to January 2024. You can submit an application by filling out this form.

At the start of the fellowship, we assist each fellow in developing an individual development plan in collaboration with their faculty mentors. After the initial meetings between the trainee and the faculty mentor assigned as the primary career mentor to develop the educational plan, they meet at regular intervals — usually monthly — to ensure timely progress toward meeting these objectives.

Formal training typically involves the equivalent of one year of didactic coursework in the theoretical and methodologic aspects of research. The availability of a wide range of courses and seminars in epidemiology, biostatistics, cardiovascular medicine, research ethics, scientific writing and peer review permits individual tailoring of the formal training element of the program. All trainees have the opportunity to complete a master's degree program in public health or clinical investigation.

This training program accepts both MD and PhD trainees. As part of the training program, we actively promote meaningful interactions between MD and PhD trainees. Clinical health professionals are in a unique position to gain skills from this intensive research training that will place them in a better position to apply for and receive future research grant support, an essential component of a career in academic medicine. PhD fellows are encouraged to take courses that would enhance their research experience and further promote their research agenda.

In addition to didactic training, fellows are encouraged to participate in an extramural training experience such as the two-week long American Heart Association/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Summer Training Course in Cardiovascular Epidemiology. Attendance and participation at national meetings is supported by the training grant. The American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention sponsors a half-day session at its annual meeting devoted to the presentation of work from current NRSA trainees. Where funds permit, trainees are encouraged to participate in at least one other national meeting of their choosing. Through participation in national meetings, trainees are exposed to work in progress by other scientists in the field and are able to make professional contacts.

Professional development activities, both formal and informal, are an integral component of the training program. Participation in career development activities is individualized. In general, fellows will be encouraged to attend university-sponsored seminars on such topics as academic job search strategies, pathways to successful careers in academic medicine (targeted to clinicians), promotion and tenure and concerns of women in academic medicine.

Fellows are required to attend weekly research-in-progress meetings and departmental cardiovascular research meetings. A journal club is held monthly.

The combination of mentoring, formal coursework, seminars and participation in ongoing research is designed to provide the most useful training experience for each individual fellow.

• Weekly research-in-progress meeting
• Weekly Cardiovascular Epidemiology Series
• Monthly Cardiovascular Epidemiology Journal Club
• Monthly career development seminar

• Monthly Northwestern University Clinical and Transitional Sciences Institute (NUCATS) Seminar on Navigating the Research Enterprise
• Monthly NUCATS Seminar on Evolving the Translational Research Career
• NUCATS Grant Writers Groups
• Weekly Institute for Public Health and Medicine Seminar Series
• Weekly Center for Behavior and Health Brown Bag Seminar
• Cardiology Grand Rounds