Accelerating Research Advancement for Early Career Investigators in Academia

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The biomedical workforce urgently needs to support early career investigators working in the areas supported by NIDDK, as the prevalence of many of these diseases – obesity, type 2 diabetes, renal disease – is rising substantially in the United States. Thus, recruiting and retaining investigators is critical to the continued success in research in NIDDK areas of interest. Two key factors that improve retention and career advancement for early career investigators are the availability of faculty role models and access to robust mentorship. This award aims to provide mentorship and role modeling through a comprehensive mentoring and career development program: the MPIs, Drs. Stanford and Stanley are physician-scientist colleagues with multiple previous and existing collaborations who have expertise in mentorship. They will lead a comprehensive program that achieves three aims for scholars: (1) providing comprehensive, multi-level mentoring that includes both robust faculty mentorship and peer and near-peer mentorship; (2) providing guidance and skill-building for research advancement, including preparation of R01 or equivalent grant applications at the end of the mentoring experience; and (3) preparing scholars to be mentors and academic leaders. Critical components of the program include monthly peer-mentoring meetings, monthly individual meetings with one of the MPIs, quarterly meetings with a near-peer mentor, participation in a curriculum with multiple faculty speakers that ensure the skills required for grant writing, scientific communication, and academic advancement, and participation in the larger group of scholars supported by this grant mechanism. During the 2–3-year mentoring experience, scholars will gain a supportive group of peers, close mentoring relationships with the MPIs and a near-peer mentor; skills to overcome the many challenges of academia; skills in grant and manuscript writing through both groups and individually mentored activities; skills in mentoring and leadership; and a vision and strategy for moving forward in their careers. This proposal serves the mission of NIDDK by supporting and promoting early career scholars who are already NIDDK-funded, substantially increasing the chances of their retention and success in the biomedical workforce.