Program Requirements

Program Requirements

Both graduate student and post-doctoral fellows enter the program in their second or third year and are required to complete academic and research activities with oversight from a faculty mentor and the training grant committee. Graduate students have a list of pre-requisites that include the first year curriculum of their respective graduate programs (generally, but not restricted to MBIDP and/or MCIP).

The requirements related to the Vascular Biology training program, listed below, were designed to offer a solid, common foundation in Vascular Biology and to provide in-depth research training. In addition, a number of activities including seminars, symposia, and research presentations occur through the year to maximize interactions.

Requirements for graduate students and postdoc fellows:

Courses

  • MCDB 224 – Molecular Basis of Vascular Biology
  • MIMG C234/C134 – Ethics and Accountability in Biomedical Research

Mentoring undergraduate students

Vascular Biology trainees are required to participate in the mentoring of at least one UCLA undergraduate from an underrepresented minority or socioeconomically disadvantaged background during their tenure. This is an outstanding experience that enables trainees to develop organizational and mentorship skills.

There are multiple programs that cooperate with us to facilitate matching of training grant mentors with URM students. These programs are:

  • MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers)
  • PEERS (Program for Excellence in Education & Research in Sciences)
  • UCLA CARE (Center for Academic Research Excellence)

Undergraduate students might enroll in the following courses during their training:

  • SRP (99) (Student Research Program) – three quarters
  • Upper Division Research Tutorials (199) – two quarters (see individual studies listings for each department)

At the conclusion of the training period or at the end of one year of training (whatever comes last), the mentored undergraduate student will be asked to write a one page report that must be evaluated and signed by both the mentored student and the VB trainee and submitted to the Program Office.

Attendance to the Vascular Biology Seminar Series

Seminars by leaders in the field of Vascular Biology are sponsored by the training program on the second Tuesday of every month at 4pm. Trainees and mentors are required to attend.

Trainees are encouraged to lunch with the speaker. Seminar announcements are distributed to all mentors and trainees by e-mail. At the end of the training period, trainees will be required to give a presentation in this forum.

To receive email notifications about the Vascular Biology Seminar Series, please email Nikki Jobanputra at njobanputra@mednet.ucla.edu.

Annual Report

Due usually the last week in May, the report should highlight progress in training including courses taken, seminars, meetings attended, publications, steps taken towards their career track (My IDP) and outcomes progress related to their specific research projects.

Publications Acknowledgement – IMPORTANT!

Any publications resulting from work done while on the training program must acknowledge support from the “Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award T32HL069766.”

All peer-reviewed publications must now include a PMCID number to comply with NIH Policy.
The Director of the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) shall require in the current fiscal year and thereafter that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, that the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law. https://publicaccess.nih.gov/policy.htm

Responsibilities of the Mentor

Faculty involvement in the training program is essential for continued success of the Training Program. Faculty are expected to attend the Vascular Biology Seminar Series and to participate in the Vascular Biology Course. Current faculty are also required to submit a yearly evaluation of the trainee. Reappointment of students is dependent upon mentor participation in training grant activities. Faculty are required to be aware of all obligations of the student as described here and to ensure that students meet these requirements.