“Mechanisms and Innovation in Vascular Disease” led by SDRC affiliated members Drs. Ronald Dalman and Philip Tsao (NHLBI) focuses on post-doctoral training in the fundamentals of vascular disease, an area of highest relevance to the pathogenesis and sequela of diabetes. This training grant is supported by 11 SDRC affiliated investigators and has funded 8 SDRC trainees over the past 7 years. Work enabled by this training grant contributes to the diabetes field as exemplified by the discovery that hepatic VEGF inhibition, via HIF-2α activation, promotes insulin sensitivity and improves glucose homeostasis in diabetic models (Nature Medicine,  PMID: 24037094); a discovery of immediate translational relevance given the availability of oral VEGF inhibitors.