Cardiovascular Research Center Postdoctoral Fellowship

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Cardiovascular Research Center Postdoctoral Fellowship Training in next generation of cardiovascular scientists and physicians at the Medical College of Wisconsin's Cardiovascular Research Center. O. Zhang, MD, PhD.

Supporting postdoctoral training at the Medical College of Wisconsin's Cardiovascular Center (CVC), the A. Smith Fellowship Scholars Program enhances the CVC's mission to train the next generation of cardiovascular scientists and emphasizes critical components designed to launch and sustain research careers including individualized development plans, personalized multidisciplinary mentoring teams, and training in core competencies. This program is supported by the CVC's specific areas of scientific excellence in Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology, Cardiac Biology & Heart Failure, Hypertension, and Precision Cardiovascular Medicine, the CVC's highly-integrated collaborative research environment, and access to an extensive research infrastructure. Faculty mentors include:
• Atherosclerosis & Thrombosis: Albert Girotti, PhD; Q. Robert Miao, PhD; Robert Montgomery, MD; Peter Newman, PhD; Kirkwood Pritchard, Jr., PhD; Daisy Sahoo, PhD; Roy Silverstein, MD; Mary Sorci-Thomas, PhD.

• Cardiac Biology & Heart Failure: John Auchampach, PhD; Tom Aufderheide, MD; Xiaowen Bai, PhD; Peter Frommelt, MD; Paul Goldspink, PhD; Scott Levick, PhD; Jennifer Strande, MD, PhD; Dorothee Weihrauch, DVM, PhD.

• Hypertension: Allen Cowley, Jr., PhD; Andrew Greene, PhD; Srividya Kidambi, MD; Alison Kriegel, PhD; Mingyu Liang, MB, PhD; Julian Lombard, PhD; David Mattson, PhD; Andrey Sorokin, PhD; Alexander Staruschenko, PhD.

• Precision Cardiovascular Medicine: Ivor Benjamin, MD; Dudley Woodrow Benson, Jr., MD, PhD; Zeljko Bosnjak, PhD; Ulrich Broeckel, MD; John Corbett, PhD; Michael Flister, PhD; Aron Geurts, PhD; Rebekah Gundry, PhD; Brian Hoffmann, PhD; John Lough, PhD; Michael Mitchell, MD; Aoy Tomita-Mitchell, PhD.

• Vascular Biology: Andreas Beyer, PhD; William Campbell, PhD; Magdalena Chrzanowska-Wodnicka, PhD; Matt Durand, PhD; Hubert Forster, PhD; David Gutterman, MD; David Harder, PhD; John Imig, PhD; Elizabeth Jacobs, MD, MBA; Balaraman Kalyanaraman, PhD; Girija Konduri, MD; Nicole Lohr, MD, PhD; Ramani Ramchandran, PhD; Michael Widlansky, MD, MPH; David X. Applications for this 2 year postdoctoral fellowship (with the possibility of a third year) are ONLY accepted by applying through MCW's Human Resources Office: http://www.mcw.edu/Human-Resources.htm

Applicants should be highly-motivated, ambitious, productive, and have (or anticipate having) a PhD, PharmD, MD, or DO in a relevant research area such as biology, molecular biology, genetics, immunology, biochemistry, pharmacology, or physiology with a strong track record of, and a keen interest in, at least one of the five research areas. Stipends begin at $50,000 (stipends determined by years of experience). To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Clinical scholars will have protected time for research. We are especially eager to recruit women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities.

06/18/2026

The Cardiovascular Research Center has appointed Justin Womack, PhD, MS, as a postdoctoral trainee to the Cardiovascular Research Center’s National Institutes of Health T32 postdoctoral training program.

Dr. Womack earned his Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and biomedical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014, followed by a Master of Science in biomedical engineering from the same institution in 2019. He then completed his PhD in biomedical engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University in 2025 under the mentorship of Ranjan Dash, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Womack has now joined the laboratory of Lu Han, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics. Dr. Han is also a member of the Cardiovascular Research Center’s Signature Program in Cardiac Biology & Heart Failure.

His project, "Decoding Spatiotemporal Cell-Cycle Plasticity in Cardiac Regeneration," tackles one of the biggest challenges in heart disease research: the adult heart's limited ability to heal itself after an injury like a heart attack. Unlike some tissues in the body, the heart cannot easily replace damaged muscle cells. While these cells can attempt to grow and divide after injury, most fail to complete the process, leaving the heart permanently weakened.

Dr. Womack will use computational tools to build a predictive model that helps explain why some heart muscle cells successfully divide and regenerate while others do not, taking into account the cells' internal biology as well as the surrounding tissue environment. Ultimately, this work could point toward new treatments that help the heart repair itself more effectively after injury.

Building on excellence in cardiovascular research, the Cardiovascular Research Center’s T32 postdoctoral training program, “Training in Signature Transdisciplinary Cardiovascular Sciences,” is funded by a $2.7 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that provides support for six postdoctoral training slots each year. The grant provides up to three years of training for appointed postdoctoral fellows in the Cardiovascular Research Center with an MD, PhD, PharmD, or DO degree. Complementary support for trainees is provided by a donation given to the Cardiovascular Research Center by the A. O. Smith Foundation for the A. O. Smith Fellowship Scholars Program, a program designed to support talented cardiovascular researchers and physicians to overcome the barriers that exist in launching and sustaining a successful research career.

The ultimate goal of this training program is to train the next generation of cardiovascular scientists and physicians, by incorporating broad-based, personalized, supportive, and rigorous training opportunities.

Dr. Womack joins three other distinguished A.O. Smith Scholars in the Cardiovascular Research Center’s T32 postdoctoral training program: Adam Knier, PhD, Alexis Smith, PhD, and Taylor Holmes, DPT, PhD. The program is currently accepting applications from highly qualified candidates. Since its inception in 2017, alumni of the program have been highly successful in publishing in high-impact journals, obtaining K and F awards, and securing faculty positions, building toward independence as cardiovascular investigators and physicians.

The program is co-directed by Mary Sorci-Thomas, PhD, professor of medicine and associate director of the Cardiovascular Research Center, Jacquelyn Kulinski, MD, professor of medicine, and Justin Grobe, PhD, of physiology and biomedical engineering, Butenhoff Family Professor of Cardiovascular Research at MCW.

Congratulations to former CVRC T32 Postdoc, Michael Flinn, BS, PhD, MS on his recent Career Development Grant from the A...
03/30/2026

Congratulations to former CVRC T32 Postdoc, Michael Flinn, BS, PhD, MS on his recent Career Development Grant from the American Heart Association and in turn, upcoming promotion to Instructor at MCW.

This grant supports highly promising healthcare and academic professionals, in the early years of one’s first professional appointment, to explore innovative questions or pilot studies that will provide preliminary data and training necessary to assure the applicant’s future success as a research scientist. The award will develop the research skills to support and greatly enhance the awardee’s chances to obtain and retain a high-quality career position.

March 24 Health Briefing on WTMJ radio - In this segment, CVRC Members Drs. John Auchampach and John Lough discussed new...
03/27/2026

March 24 Health Briefing on WTMJ radio - In this segment, CVRC Members Drs. John Auchampach and John Lough discussed new research on cardiac repair after a heart attack - findings on the benefits of Tip60, the heart muscle’s ability to repair itself, and the evolution of cardiac repair research.
Every Tuesday at 4:45 p.m., MCW President and CEO Dr. John Raymond or another MCW leader joins Wisconsin’s Afternoon News on WTMJ 620 AM. Listen to the segment: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/milwaukee-health-briefing-new-research-on-cardiac-repair/id1672152559?i=1000757141925

The Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, in partnership with the Cardiovasc...
03/03/2026

The Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, in partnership with the Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC), has announced the recipients of its 2025/2026 Genomic Sciences & Precision Cardiovascular Medicine Award, along with this year’s jointly funded pilot research awards supporting innovative cardiovascular science.

The $75,000 Genomic Sciences & Precision Cardiovascular Medicine Award was awarded to a multidisciplinary team led by Aoy Tomita-Mitchell, PhD, professor of surgery (division of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery), and Angela Mathison, PhD, associate professor of surgery. Their project, “Precision Therapeutics for HLHS: Single-Cell Profiling and A*O Rescue of MYH6 E1584K,” aims to advance gene-targeted therapies for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

This award will support studies demonstrating that antisense oligonucleotides (A*Os) can correct the underlying genetic drivers of HLHS, rather than solely managing disease symptoms after onset. If successful, this approach has the potential to reduce complications, shorten hospital stays, and improve long-term outcomes for children with HLHS and their families. Importantly, the strategy may also be adaptable to other genetically driven forms of heart disease, further advancing pediatric cardiology toward precision medicine - delivering the right treatment to the right patient at the right time.

Designed to accelerate innovative, high-impact research, the Genomic Sciences & Precision Cardiovascular Medicine Award prioritizes emerging ‘omics-based methodologies that interrogate the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. The funding mechanism aims to catalyze future extramural grant submissions, publications, or both, while fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and technological innovation.

In addition to the major award, the Mellowes Center and CVRC also funded pilot research projects totaling up to $40,000, supporting early-stage, high-risk ideas with strong potential for scientific and translational impact. 2025 Mellowes Center CVRC Pilot Award recipients include:

Brian Lin, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, neurobiology, and anatomy, for his project “Mechanisms by Which TRPC6 Inhibitors Rescue Heart Failure Using Human Stem Cell Models of DMD.”

Brian Smith, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry, for his project “BET Proteins Influence Macrophages During Inflammation.”

These competitive pilot awards share the same overarching goal as the Genomic Sciences & Precision Cardiovascular Medicine Award: to generate impactful preliminary data that advances cardiovascular discovery, strengthens future funding applications, and promotes collaboration across disciplines and institutions.

Today is National Wear Red Day! Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women and takes a woman's life approximate...
02/06/2026

Today is National Wear Red Day! Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women and takes a woman's life approximately every 80 seconds. Our CVRC staff is bringing awareness, supporting the mission of research and discovery by Going Red today!

01/12/2026

Congratulations to Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) T32 postdoctoral fellow Stephen Hammond, PhD, MS, on being awarded a prestigious American Heart Association (AHA) Postdoctoral Fellowships.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Andreas Beyer, Dr. Hammond received an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project, “Unraveling the Role of Tumor-Derived Circulating Factors in the Manifestation of Cancer Treatment–Induced Cardiotoxicity.” This research examines how debris released from damaged cancer cells during treatment may contribute to microvascular and cardiac dysfunction.

Cancer survivors face a higher risk of dying from heart disease, in part because some cancer therapies harm healthy heart and blood vessel cells. While prior research has largely focused on direct damage to the heart, much less is known about injury to blood vessels—often the earliest indicator of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Hammond’s project addresses this critical gap by investigating how cancer treatments, together with signals released from dying cancer cells, disrupt blood vessel health.

The AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship supports highly promising early-career scientists as they pursue innovative cardiovascular research and advance toward independent research careers. This highly competitive award recognizes both the scientific merit of the proposed research and the fellows’ potential to become future leaders in cardiovascular science.

Dr. Hammond will transition from the CVRC T32 training program to accept his AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship award.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hammond on this outstanding accomplishment.

01/12/2026

Congratulations to Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) T32 postdoctoral fellow Natalia Marin Mathieu, PhD, on being awarded a prestigious American Heart Association (AHA) Postdoctoral Fellowships.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Justin Grobe, Dr. Mathieu received the AHA fellowship for her project, “Cardiometabolic Dysfunction in an Ovarian Failure Model of Menopause: Role of Angiotensin AT1R in AgRP Neurons.” This research, conducted in the laboratories of Drs. Justin Grobe and Gary Mouradian, will examine how estrogen influences AT1R signaling in AgRP neurons and how distinct AT1R signaling pathways affect resting metabolic rate during a menopause-like state. This work will advance understanding of the neural regulation of resting metabolism and the mechanisms contributing to increased cardiometabolic risk associated with menopause.

The AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship supports highly promising early-career scientists as they pursue innovative cardiovascular research and advance toward independent research careers. This highly competitive award recognizes both the scientific merit of the proposed research and the fellows’ potential to become future leaders in cardiovascular science.

Dr. Mathieu will transition from the CVRC T32 training program to accept her AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship award.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Mathieu on this outstanding accomplishment.

12/25/2025

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