Mayo Clinic StARR Program

In the inaugural round of the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) program, Mayo Clinic’s residency research training model achieved substantial success. With a focus on heart (and vascular), lung, hematologic (blood), and sleep (HLBS) disorders/diseases aligned to the priorities of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), our program has supported eight resident-investigators, four women and four men. Three have completed training, while five are currently at various stages of matriculation. With the objective to enhance the pipeline of clinician-scientists in HLBS fields, the Mayo Clinic StARR program has developed a model grounded on three straightforward aims. Aim 1: To attract and retain resident-investigators for academic careers in HLBS disorders/diseases research; Aim 2: To train and prepare resident-investigators for independent research careers; and Aim 3: To evaluate the effectiveness and success of the Mayo Clinic StARR Program. To achieve this model, we built a high supportive and comprehensive environment grounded on three significant strengths: 1) Experienced and expert faculty of preceptors and research opportunities representing a broad spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical science; 2) Didactic courses in research training able to address the needs of residents at this training stage; 3) Career Development scaffolds and guidance that supports progress toward achieving goals, including downstream career development funding such as the K38, and continuing on the physician-scientist pathway. Our program is also exceptionally well supported through recruitment of resident investigators through Mayo Clinic’s own Clinician Investigator Training Program— expanding a successful model with specific focus on HLBS diseases, an extensive research infrastructure, numerous resources to develop and maintain research career goals, and the financial commitment of Mayo Clinic leadership to buttress StARR’s comprehensive design and ensure an outstanding program. Moreover, this well-integrated model stands on Mayo Clinic’s strong team science culture where preceptors, education, and support structures all imbue the import of multidisciplinary perspectives to achieve discovery. In our next cycle, we will continue to enhance the Mayo Clinic StARR program, extending opportunities to residents in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and adding experienced preceptors from the same department. The program will also enhance its recruitment and retention strategies to residents. We are also enthusiastic to cultivate junior faculty as preceptors, including several talented researchers in mentor training and tutelage under our more experienced investigators, ensuring a robust and sustainable StARR program into the future. Thus, an already successful program is poised for even more impressive outcomes in its second cycle.