Research Opportunities
Fellows may choose between our standard and research tracks, both of which offer opportunities to engage in mentored research.
Standard track
- Fellows in the standard three-year track have approximately six elective months and may spend them on research, clinical rotations, or a combination of these activities.
- Dr. Kai Chen meets with each first-year fellow to guide them toward an appropriate mentor. You may learn more about potential mentors here: Our Researchers.
- Each fellow is expected to conduct an original research project.
- Financial support is provided for publication fees and travel expenses to national meetings.
Research track
- Video introduction to the research track and potential mentors: Research Track Introduction
- The research track is typically a four-year program. Fellows who join this pathway begin their training with two years of research, followed by two years of core clinical training.
- Typical research track fellows have demonstrated a strong commitment to research and anticipate a career as a physician investigator.
- The research track uses one of two cardiovascular NIH-funded T32 training mechanisms to support research; see CV T32 and CODER T32 for details.
- According to NIH policy, any fellow receiving NIH funding must be a citizen, a noncitizen national, or a permanent resident of the U.S. Therefore, the research track is not appropriate for anyone on a visa.
- Fellows who are interested in earning a PhD may be able to do so through the UMass Millennium PhD program. This requires a third research year.
- There are several potential faculty research mentors within the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. To qualify as a research-track mentor, faculty must have independent grant funding because they may be required to supplement the NIH funding of full-time research fellows. Mentors in the division include:
- J. Kevin Donahue
- Timothy Fitzgibbons
- Milka Koupenova
- Lara Kovell
- David McManus
- Khanh-Van Tran
- Chinmay Trivedi
- Profiles of these potential mentors, as well as other faculty engaged in research, can be found here: Our Researchers.
- Fellows may choose to work with a faculty mentor outside of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Our program leadership will assist fellows in finding appropriate mentors.
- To see profiles of some current and former research track fellows, see: Research track profiles.
- Applications for the research track pathway are submitted through ERAS.