CTSA Now Accepting Applications for TL1 Training Program

CENTER FOR CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE

CTSA TL1 Training Program for Pre-doctoral Students in Clinical and Translational Science

 Applications due: March 31, 2017

The Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) at the University of Kentucky has funding, as part of our NIH CTSA award, to support the training of exceptional graduate students, (i.e., MD, DMD, and PharmD students or PhD level graduate students) committed to developing careers as leaders of multidisciplinary research in Clinical and Translational Science (CTS). The CTSA TL1 Pre-doctoral Training Program will have 2 positions available in May and 1 position available in late summer.    

Description:

The TL1 Training Program is a T32 program.  The fundamental principal of this T32 program is to provide clinical/translational research training that is rigorous and effectively integrated with ongoing professional or graduate research programs. 

The T32 support will provide trainees access to:

1) A solid foundation in core research competencies.
2) Discipline-specific training based on coursework.
3) Research training at the cutting edge of the specific science. 

Students will be expected to participate in monthly Center for Clinical & Translational Science (CCTS) Seminars, present at the Spring CCTS Conference, attend a Responsible Conduct of Clinical Research Course or attend the Clinical and Research Ethics lecture series, and satisfy all NRSA requirements. Students not enrolled in the CCTS MS, CCTS PhD or, equal alternative program, such as the PharmD/PhD or Biostatistics/Epidemiology PhD, will be required to complete either the Graduate Certificate in CTS or other CTS course work including CPH 632 Fundamentals of Clinical Research, a grant writing course, a CTS Research Ethics Course and a Biostats course.

Support Provided:

The T32 will provide salary support at NIH NRSA levels ($23,376 FY 2016), partial tuition and up to $1,000 for travel expenses to the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) meeting to present research at this national career development meeting. Initial appointment will be for one year. Progress in the program will be reviewed annually.  Contingent upon satisfactory progress in the program, you may be supported for two years.

Eligibility Requirements:

Applicants for NRSA institutional training grants must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, i.e., in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card I-551, or some other legal verification of legal admission as a permanent resident. Non-citizen nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the United States (e.g., American Samoa and Swains Island). Proof of residency status is required.  Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible for support. In addition, trainees must be able to commit full-time effort in the program at the time of appointment and agree to all NRSA requirements.

Selection Process:

Applicants who display the highest potential for success will be selected as program scholars. Preference will be given to students seeking training in CTS and those enrolled in the PhD in CTS. The choice will be made on the basis of academic qualifications, training background, performance record during professional training (coursework during medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy or graduate school), and research accomplishments (papers, abstracts, or other presentations of original work). Importantly, applicants will be judged on the basis of their potential to develop into a successful translational/clinical researcher with leadership skills, as evidenced by previous leadership roles and letters of recommendation.

Application Process:       

Please complete the electronic application form.  All documents listed below must be uploaded into the application form as a single PDF file.  The research plan, goals and objectives, career development/training plan, and training in the responsible conduct of research should be completed using Arial, font size 11.  Completed applications must be submitted electronically by 5:00pm on Friday, March 31, 2017.

• Research plan:  A brief description of the research project, specific aims, experimental approaches, and anticipated outcomes (no more than 7 pages; Specific Aims 1 page and Research Strategy 6 pages)

• Applicant’s Career Goals and Objectives: A clear concise description of the applicant’s short and long term career goals.  A description of how this award fits into the applicant’s future research career development. (no more than 1 page)

• Applicant Career Development/Training Plan:  The career development/training plan should be consistent with the applicant’s prior research experience.  A description of research training, skills and knowledge the applicant will acquire as a result of this award and how this training enhances the proposed research plan and candidate’s career goals. (no more than 2 pages)

• Applicant’s NIH biosketch

• Primary Mentor’s Biosketch

• Letter of support from mentor or doctoral dissertation advisor/mentor

• Letter of support from the chair of the applicant’s academic unit

• Letter of support from a faculty member familiar with the applicant’s research potential

Questions:

Any questions concerning the TL1 Training Program should be directed to Dr. Victoria L. King, CCTS, Career Development Director, at mailto:vicky.king@uky.edu or 859-218-6167