Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute Seeks Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Fellowship Applicants

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute—one of the leading outcomes research centers in the nation—is seeking highly motivated, talented individuals for its two-year postdoctoral training program in cardiovascular outcomes research. This National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded T32 training program has openings for two fellowship positions beginning July 1, 2022. The T32 program is run by the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), and is hosted by Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute (SLMAHI) in close collaboration with the University of Kansas.

"There is a growing regional and national need for more scholars with expertise in cardiovascular outcomes and quality of care to inform practice and policy in an increasingly complex health care system," said John Spertus, M.D., Daniel J. Lauer/Missouri Endowed Chair and Professor at the UMKC School of Medicine and Clinical Director of Outcomes Research at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute. "This fellowship provides didactic training, mentored research, and independent research opportunities to train the next generation of leaders in the fields of cardiovascular, clinical, and outcomes research."

Fellowship program scholars will conduct studies to define the determinants of outcomes, examine variations in care and have opportunities to design innovations in health care delivery to overcome existing gaps in care—all national priorities. The program includes a number of excellent mentors in diverse disciplines who have published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles per year inleading peer-reviewed scientific journals. In the 11 years of SLMAHI's formal training program, trainees have achieved unprecedented scientific productivity; presenting an average of more than 15 abstracts at national conferences and having an average of more than 13 peer-reviewed journal publications for research conducted during their fellowship. Trainees have received honors of special distinction at national conferences, academic institution awards for excellence in academics and research, and funding awards as principal and co-investigators on grants and industry-sponsored projects. Successful trainees are equipped to conduct independent academic research, work with the pharmaceutical/device industry, serve as leaders in quality within hospitals and health systems, and pursue careers in public health and health policy. This is also an ideal opportunity for trainees interested in integrating outcomes research with clinical training.  MAHI/UMKC has ACGME-accredited programs in general cardiology, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, and advanced heart failure/transplantation, and non-accredited programs in imaging and preventive cardiology.

"Ideal candidates will have completed their M.D., D.O., Ph.D. or equivalent degrees and will have a deep passion for improving health care," said Dr. Spertus. "In addition to cardiologists or cardiology-bound physicians, neurologists, pharmacists, nurses, psychologists, epidemiologists, and others interested in the field are welcome to apply. Minority candidates are particularly encouraged to apply, given our strong research activity in studying disparities and developing strategies to overcome them."

The full-time fellowship training program offers:

Hands-on research experience with access to highly experienced statisticians and numerous databases including:

• Multicenter outcome registries (e.g., PREMIER, TRIUMPH, PORTRAIT, PRISM, OPEN CTO, OPTIMUM),
• Clinical trial databases (e.g., PARTNER, FREEDOM, SYNTAX), and
• National quality databases (e.g., American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registries, American Heart Association's  Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation)
• Multidisciplinary mentorship, with world renowned faculty, individualized to meet the needs of each fellow
• Advanced seminars of specialized skills for Outcomes Research
• Opportunity to obtain a Master's of Science in Bioinformatics with an emphasis in Clinical Research
• Opportunity to participate in the design and execution of clinical trials (e.g., DEFINE-HF, PRESERVED-HF, EMBRACE-HF, Heartline)
• Opportunity to engage in a multi-institutional implementation consortium through multiple hospitals in Kansas City – the Quality and Value Innovation Consortium
• Unique opportunity to earn a Certificate in Biomedical Technology Entrepreneurship – a key skill set for researchers seeking to create sustainable change in healthcare
• Salaried position based on National Institutes of Health postdoctoral stipends
• Insurance benefits, vacation time, tuition (for M.S. coursework), and funds for travel expenses to professional conference(s)

Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute is recognized as one of the premier outcomes research centers in the country consistently producing pioneering research that improves outcomes, patient experience, and patient care. The Heart Institute has earned an international reputation for excellence in outcomes and health economics research.

The deadline for fellowship application is Sept. 15, 2021, for two fellowship positions to begin July 1, 2022.

For application details and eligibility requirements, visit: T32 Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Postdoctoral Fellowship

About Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute

Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, a member of Saint Luke's Health System and a teaching affiliate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, is one of the preeminent cardiovascular programs in the country. Its legacy of innovation began more than 25 years ago when it opened as the nation's first heart hospital. Since then, the Heart Institute has earned a world-wide reputation for excellence in the treatment of heart disease, including interventional cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, imaging, heart failure, transplant, heart disease prevention, women's heart disease, electrophysiology, outcomes research, and health economics. With more than 70 full-time board certified cardiovascular specialists