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(Circulation. 2002;105:1751.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorial

Clinical Research Skills Development

A New Approach

Claude Lenfant, MD

From the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md.

Correspondence to Claude Lenfant, MD, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md.

Key Words: Key Words: • Editorials • research • funding • training

We at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) are committed to improving the nation’s health through a comprehensive program of basic and clinical investigations, population-based studies, and demonstration and education research. Fulfillment of this goal depends on continuous development of highly trained individuals from a wide variety of disciplines and specialties. To this end, we must encourage and support young scientists in the earliest phases of their careers to ensure that they develop the competencies and breadth of expertise needed to address the complex, multifaceted research challenges that they will face as they become independent researchers.

Training grants provide a fine mechanism for developing many investigators, but the need for well-trained clinical researchers, in particular, is so pressing that we must seek out and capitalize on other opportunities. The newly developed Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research (SCCORs; see January 29, 2002, issue of Circulation [Circulation. 2002;105:400–401]), which require clinical and basic scientists to work together on a unified theme, offer one such opportunity. NHLBI-supported clinical research networks and multicenter clinical studies present others. All three types of programs often include among their research staff new and relatively inexperienced clinical investigators who could grow tremendously in such environments if properly nurtured.

This will not happen, however, if these junior staff function solely as "employees." We must extend their horizons beyond the confines of their job-related tasks and expose them to a panoramic view of clinical research. To facilitate this essential step, the NHLBI is inviting applicants . . . [Full Text of this Article]