Professional Development

Project Summary/Abstract The PERFORM-KUH Professional Development Core (PDC) provides both structured and customized curricula to enhance the career development of predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in Kidney, Urology, and Hematology (KUH) related research and to advance effective mentoring by PERFORM-KUH preceptors. We will leverage the complementary strengths of academic institutions in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area to integrate trainees into KUH-focused research careers, apply innovative resources for career development, and enhance mentorship skills of PERFORM-KUH preceptors. The program described here will improve the trainees’ ability to compete for funding, foster biomedical writing, publication, and oral presentation skills, address work/life balance issues, and enhance professional skills needed to navigate the next steps towards a scientific career in KUH research. In parallel, the PDC will provide mentorship training for trainers by adapting curricula from the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professional development activities and mentoring will be monitored and enhanced using data compiled from a detailed PDC evaluation plan that tracks the progress of trainees and incorporates feedback on trainer mentoring skills. Specific Aim 1 defines the professional development programs for PERFORM-KUH trainees, including KUH-focused career development seminars and workshops, an intensive and unique grant writing workshop, a KUH Research in Progress series for trainees, a biomedical data science seminar series, opportunities for training in Entrepreneurial Science, Regulatory Science, and Translational Science, and a structured plan for guiding trainees in selecting appropriate and individualized professional development curriculum. Specific Aim 2 describes a curriculum for trainers that will enhance and sustain mentorship skills, based on a mentoring program from the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. PDC monitoring and evaluation: We also propose a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan using metrics drawn from the Individual Development Plan (IDP), a trainee survey, and feedback on monitoring to inform and improve the professional development initiatives for trainers and trainees.