Project Summary There has been a long history of cardiovascular research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). Much of this research has been conducted in the Department of Physiology where their efforts are directed toward developing a quantitative and integrated analysis of the cardiovascular and renal systems. In addition both basic and clinical research on hypertension and cardio-renal diseases at UMMC have expanded in various departments and programs such as Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Neurosciences, Medicine, Endocrinology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology. UMMC also serves as the Examination Center for the Jackson Heart Study that has a major focus on cardiovascular disease in African Americans. UMMC has also been a participant is several major clinical trials such as ALLHAT. Thus, UMMC has a diversity of basic, clinical, and population research programs in cardiovascular diseases. The main objective of the multidisciplinary Hypertension and Cardiorenal Diseases Research (HCDR) Training Program is to recruit, train, and mentor pre-doctoral and postdoctoral students in hypertension and cardiovascular and renal research so that they become the next generation of researchers in this field. To achieve this goal the Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular-Renal Research (CECR) at UMMC will provide a stimulating and productive mentoring environment for pre-doctoral and postdoctoral students. The HCDR Training Program not only capitalizes on the expertise of a strong group of basic science and clinical investigators in the field of cardiovascular and renal research at UMMC but also the resources provided by these established laboratories and the CECR core facilities. The specific aims of this training grant proposal are as follows: 1. To train pre-doctoral students (3) in a multi-disciplinary approach in course work and research opportunities in hypertension and cardiovascular-renal disease research. 2. To provide postdoctoral students (5) multi-disciplinary training and mentoring in hypertension and cardiovascular-renal disease research 3. To recruit and train minority pre-doctoral and postdoctoral students in hypertension and cardiovascular- renal diseases research. Funding of the HCDR training program at UMMC would increase the quality and quantity of trainees in this multi-disciplinary program and greatly enhance our ability to train the next generation of biomedical scientists in hypertension and cardio-renal diseases research.