From its inception, the Vascular Biology COBRE has been committed to the mentoring and career development of junior investigators at OMRF and neighboring institutions. Many COBRE investigators and pilot project leaders from Phases I and II emerged as successful independent investigators with funding from NIH and other national sources and with publications in prominent peer-reviewed journals. Mentoring is designed to foster the long-term success of mentees as independent investigators. The COBRE was designed to respect junior investigator autonomy and to encourage independent action.
Mentorship in the Vascular Biology COBRE provided:
• Help in designing experiments to test hypotheses
• Manuscript review prior to submission
• Advice regarding which journals are appropriate for submission of manuscripts
• Advocacy locally as well as for presentations at national meetings
• Opportunities for sharing materials and techniques
• Assistance in preparing competitive grant applications
• Help recruiting students, postdoctoral fellows, and technicians
• Advice on interactions with technicians and more junior colleagues
• Strategic career advice
