J. NRSA Training Core

The Yale TL1 provides support for the training, mentoring and career development of exceptional trainees from throughout Yale University to prepare them to successfully pursue careers in research focused on improving human health, improving health outcomes, and improving health systems. In recognition of the critical need to foster the development of young investigators at multiple points during training, we established four training opportunities within our program that span pre- and post-doctoral training. Each of these programs builds on a remarkable track record of accomplishment, but each is also newly adapted to respond to the current educational context and the emerging research opportunities. In so doing, our training programs embrace education in team learning, data science and organizational practice so as to prepare the next generation of translational researchers to emerge as leaders. These 4 programs, presented as specific aims, include: 1) The National Clinician Scholars Program that provides two years of outstanding training for post-doctoral fellows in either nursing or medicine who are focused on careers in T3-T4 translational research to improve health and healthcare policy for communities and populations; 2) The Investigative Medicine PhD Program that provides 3-5 years of rigorous PhD training for physicians who have completed their clinical training and haven chosen to pursue careers in translational (T1-T4) research; and 3) The Multidisciplinary Pre-Doctoral Training Program in Translational Research that provides pre-doctoral trainees with one or two full years devoted to training across the full span (T1-T4) of clinical and translational research. 4) The Multidisciplinary Post-Doctoral Training Program in Translational Research that provides post-doctoral PhD trainees with one or two full years devoted to training across the full span (T1-T4) of clinical and translational research. The objectives of this TL1 application are to: 1) identify and support a group of outstanding trainees across all relevant scientific and research communities within Yale for entry into the appropriate one of these four programs; 2) provide them with a strong multidisciplinary education anchored in courses offered through degree-granting programs; 3) provide a mentored translational research experience in a biological, social behavioral, community-engaged and/or public health domain; 4) provide training and hands-on experience in multidisciplinary team science; 5) provide ongoing mentoring in how to conduct meaningful translational research and in support of their career development; 6) provide instruction to increase their abilities to translate research into real-world contexts to impact policies and practices for interventions and preventive practices that affect health; and 7) to objectively evaluate the umbrella TL1, its four training programs, and achievement of short- and long-term goals by the individual trainees in order to modify the TL1 activities accordingly. Team-based approaches to research are specifically emphasized by providing year-long didactic training in team science and team building, coupled with inter-program experiential team research performed jointly by the TL1 and KL2 trainees.