NRSA Training Core

The central goal of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) TL1 Training Program is to contribute to translational workforce development by preparing a robust cohort of scholars that can address societal health needs through clinical and translational research (CTR) endeavors in academia, government, and industry. The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) TL1 Training Program has been active since 2008, and currently supports both predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars for two-year appointments. The objectives for the upcoming funding period are to: 1) Augment our current success in building capacity of the translational workforce via predoctoral and postdoctoral training; 2) Innovate our tailored, competency-based TL1 curriculum to provide the flexibility and adaptability to realize the “Wisconsin Idea” in the context of a continually shifting research landscape; 3) Advance a positive environment by intentionally engaging a broadly representative translational workforce and expanding the research portfolio to pursue health for all people; and 4) Instill trainees with the team science and leadership skills to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams. We will address these objectives by providing more flexible curricular options in the areas of community outreach, bioinformatics, science communication, and entrepreneurship; by enhancing experiential learning opportunities through biotechnology externships in partnership with UW’s Forward BIO Innovators in Training program; and by promoting inter-hub collaboration and team science initiatives by instituting an annual Midwest TL1 Research Summit. We are requesting support for 11 predoctoral and four postdoctoral scholars in the upcoming period. All scholars will receive didactic training in core translational research skills, the responsible conduct of research, rigor and reproducibility, mentor/mentee strategies, and team science skills. We will evaluate the success of our program guided by the ICTR Innovation Scorecard and measure impact using the Translational Sciences Benefits Model. We will use mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, including monitoring scholar progress along individual development plans and self-efficacy in key National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences CTR competencies; tracking scholar productivity and career milestones; surveying scholar satisfaction with training opportunities; and continually assessing our scholar cohorts and project portfolios to advance a broad representative workforce. This innovative TL1 programming, including mentorship, team science, a focus on health for all, and a positive environment, will foster and launch a cadre of independently funded leaders of CTR who will impact the health of our patients, families, and communities.