Training Opportunities

Graduate, undergraduate and high school students can train alongside faculty researchers in the Heart & Blood Vessel Disease Research Focus Area at NEOMED.

Graduate Student Opportunities

The Heart and Blood Vessel Disease Research Focus Area provides a robust research environment for graduate student training from partner universities as well as those from abroad, such as University of Berlin (Germany), University of Parma (Italy) and other institutes. In the past, graduate students from Kent State’s Biomedical Sciences and NEOMED’s Basic and Translational Biomedicine graduate programs have joined the laboratories of faculty members in this research area.

Qualified and motivated students thrive in our research-centric environment that is conducive for training and career advancement. Graduates have matriculated to postdoctoral fellowships at prestigious universities (Columbia University, City of Hope, Vanderbilt University, Emory University, etc.) and research institutes (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences). In addition to academia, other students pursue careers in research writing or industry. As part of our focus on the professional development of the next generation of scientists, we provide many opportunities for students to interact with faculty members (cardiovascular group meetings) as well as experts from across the country and the world via the Dr. Hans G. Folkesson Memorial Seminar Series.

Faculty in the research area have appointments in the School of Biomedical Sciences at Kent State University in Physiology, Pharmacology, and Cell and Molecular Biology graduate programs. Our faculty members and graduate students attend national conferences (Experimental Biology, American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, etc.) which provides students an opportunity to present their research and network with peers and senior scientists. The College of Graduate Studies provides a generous travel allowance to help students attend these events. Faculty collaborations with universities in the United States and abroad also enrich our graduate research experience.

Undergraduate/volunteer research opportunities

Investigators in the Heart and Blood Vessel Disease Research Focus Area encourage undergraduate students to gain laboratory experience. The training offered in these laboratories provides knowledge and research skills that coursework alone cannot provide.

Students have been able to receive college credit from their respective universities, and they have co-authored publications. Those students who have participated in undergraduate research in the past use their experiences to secure jobs in industry and clinical settings, as well as, enter graduate and/or professional school. If students are looking forward to a career in the sciences and wish to expand their horizons, they should consider participating in undergraduate research.

High School Internships

• A mentored opportunity of learning research procedures, principles, and purposes
• Work closely with research personnel to gain knowledge on methodologies in a lab
• Learn how to interpret and generate results using specific techniques through processes such as PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis