Stimulating Access to Research in the University of Cincinnati Internal Medicine Residency Program

The number of physician-scientists, in both adult and pediatric medicine, is declining despite an overall increase in the total number of physicians. Although the reasons are complex, the common thread remains the difficulty in recruiting, retaining and funding trainees and early-stage faculty. Through our initially R38 funded University of Cincinnati (UC)-StARR program we have overcome some of these challenges by successfully recruiting five physician-scientists into the pathway, and also used the structure provided by this funding mechanism to underly our now strong academic footprint within the department of internal medicine (DOIM) where dozens of physician-scientists have also trained and succeeded within associated pathways. Together, these programs have all collectively grown year by year, and have resulted in a large, academically successful cohort of physician-scientists that have established their home at the UC, where they help us recruit and train the next generation of trainees. This proposal includes key aspects such as (a) sophisticated real-time tracking of trainees and (b) longitudinal program that provides an in-depth training experience for research. Our redefined aims will (aim 1) recruit high-quality resident-investigators and (aim 2) implement a unique curriculum that caters to the residents’ diverse prior experiences. In summary, this UC-StARR application will build upon existing programmatic infrastructure that brings together 20 experienced, well-funded mentors within the fields of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and critical care medicine. Through these aims we will continue to improve upon the anticipated shortfall in physician-scientists, via innovative tracking systems, focused catering to the special needs of residents while training them in a logical sequence on the principles of research. These programs will continue to have a significant impact on increasing the number of physician-scientists being trained at our institution, including graduates of the R38 program that will successfully apply for the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency Transition Scholar (StARRTS) K38 initiative.