The primary objective of the Summer Institute in Genetic Epidemiology is to provide all-expense-paid training and mentoring in genetic epidemiology and risk factors to junior-level faculty and scientists from minority groups that are under-represented in the sciences and/or with a disability, so that they can competently and effectively develop independent research programs on cutting edge Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep (HLBS) disorders. This initiative to bring faculty and scientists particularly from minority groups into research is important because of the major public health burden of these diseases, especially in minority populations.

This Summer Institute program was designed to provide a working knowledge and appreciation for genetic epidemiology and bioinformatics methods and to integrate these skills with the Mentee’s substantive research interests in CVD and HLBS problems. It will (1) require participation in 3-week summer institutes during each of two summers, (2) attending a 3-day mid-year meeting, and (3) involve long-term networking with a Mentor to advance one's own research career.

One of the great strengths of this all-expense-paid program is that the vast resources and the rich research and training environment in the labs of the mentors will be available to all mentees. We believe that, by exposing our mentees to the full breadth and depth of the ongoing research programs and resources at the participating institutions, we are ensuring that our mentees will be fully integrated with the biomedical sciences in a very natural manner.