Institutional Career Development Core

The overall objective of the CCaTS KL2 Institutional Career Development Core is to provide superb training to investigators who can assume leadership roles within multidisciplinary collaborative research teams that conduct outstanding clinical and translational science. The KL2 Program is open to individuals with a doctoral degree in a discipline applicable to clinical and translational research and an existing appointment as Mayo Clinic faculty or under consideration for a Mayo Clinic faculty appointment. After a rigorous selection process, successful applicants and their mentoring team formulate a career development plan based on defined core competencies for clinical and translational science. The plan includes appropriate didactic training; experiential and extramural learning opportunities; and a structured, mentored translational research project. The Specific Aims of this renewal application are to 1) recruit and support Scholars with outstanding potential to lead multidisciplinary, collaborative team science; 2) provide tailored educational experiences based on individual career development needs that include appropriate didactics, experiential activities, and a mentored research experience; and 3) foster a community of Scholars, including partnerships with other career development programs, both within Mayo Clinic and nationally. Key strengths of the KL2 Program include a long history of Program graduates having success as translational scientists, a multidisciplinary pool of faculty mentors with strong extramurally funded research programs and a record of mentoring prior Scholars, a large candidate pool subject to a rigorous selection process, a wide range of curricular options offered without charge, novel strategies to create a positive learning environment for all Scholars, multiple networking and community-building opportunities, options for experiential learning, strong institutional support for the transition to independence after Program completion, and a rigorous evaluation program. Although the KL2 Core has a long history of success, we have identified several opportunities for improvement and innovation, both by crafting new initiatives and by modifying existing program elements as guided by the results of our ongoing rigorous evaluation program. Planned enhancements include new required learning experiences in team science, social media, mentoring (including near-peer cascading mentorship), the hidden curriculum, and developing a positive working environment for staff, and acting as a visiting scholar. Equipping Scholars with skills addressing these key emerging competencies will prepare them for success as CTS investigators.