It may be slightly cliché, but it's true nonetheless. Many of the best ideas in a university - or any workplace for that matter - come not from a classroom or department meeting, but from chatting up a colleague while grabbing a cup of coffee or bumping into each other in a hallway.
That "hallway" approach lies at the heart of the new Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology. The program aims to bring together scientists with an expertise in cardiovascular epidemiology from a variety of institutions and fields in the Boston area to stimulate new research ideas and determine etiologies and effective preventive measures for cardiovascular disease, including stroke, congestive heart failure, and sudden cardiac death.
The program is directed by Eric Rimm, associate professor of medicine, and Dariush Mozaffarian, assistant professor of medicine, both at Harvard Medical School. They also have secondary appointments at HSPH.
Rimm and Mozaffarian developed the idea for the program to bring together the diverse expertise in the Boston area in cardiovascular epidemiology, including many different institutions and fields of study, such as nutrition, aging, genetics, basic science, policy and risk analysis, and environmental epidemiology.
"Both of us realized there were incredible strengths in cardiovascular epidemiology around the School and in Boston, and increasing opportunities for collaboration and joint projects seemed natural," said Mozaffarian.
In addition to research synergy, the program leaders hope to pursue opportunities such as:
- Grant success: Leverage complementary strengths to write new grant proposals.
- Training and mentoring: Facilitate collaborations, expand funding for fellows and postdoctoral fellows, and provide mentoring for students, fellows, and junior faculty.
- Curriculum development: Contribute to curricula in cardiovascular epidemiology at HSPH and HMS.
- Research support: Provide future support for pilot projects and research fellowships.
Rimm and Mozaffarian have sent out invitations to local researchers to participate with a goal of gathering 40 to 50 founding program faculty. As one initiative of the program, monthly meetings called Friday Forums will be held for program faculty and their trainees to discuss the newest directions in research, with an additional incentive: tastings of wine, dark chocolate, and cheeses.
"Dariush and I were talking with colleagues and decided that we needed something above the radar of this-is-the-typical-seminar-I-go-to," said Rimm. "We want it to be fun, with lively and open conversation."
—TD
Copyright, 2007, President and Fellows of Harvard College
