CTSA K12 Program at UNC

ABSTRACT There is an urgent need to develop a new type of scientist, one who is motivated by a need to bring scientific advances to clinics and communities in an equitable fashion, and to make a long-term impact by contributing to health policies and research that will promote health equity. This scientist is fluent in the language of team

science and collaboration and recognizes the principles that contribute to scientific translation across disciplines. This scientist brings an inclusive mindset to how they form and lead their research teams as well as the methods they use in their research. These characteristics describe a translational scientist. Transforming translational

researchers, historically trained in discipline- and disease-specific approaches, into translational scientists requires a departure from traditional career development programs. To address this need, the proposed new CTSA K12 program, the Gene Orringer Advancing Translational Science Career Development Award at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), will support nine early-career Scholars with at least 75% protected time for research and career development activities for up to 3-years. The objectives of the CTSA K12 are to: 1) Recruit junior faculty who are dedicated to accelerating the implementation of biomedical advances

through pursuit of team-based translational science; 2) Increase recruitment efforts of Scholars from underrepresented groups in biomedical sciences; 3) Provide the necessary infrastructure and protected time for Scholars to develop skills in the seven Translational Science characteristics through mentored, didactic, and

experiential learning in a format adapted to their specific needs; 4) Empower Scholars with the necessary leadership, management, well-being, and resilience skills and diversity, equity and inclusion training needed to lead diverse and inclusive research programs through didactic and experiential trainings, career coaching and

career development experiences; 5) Prepare Scholars to identify and address health disparities through focused trainings and applied experiences in systems science, health equity and community/stakeholder engagement; 6) Optimize mentoring committee-Scholar relationships by requiring mentor and mentee training based on

evidence-informed mentoring practices and active assessment of mentoring relationships; 7) Develop Scholars into effective mentors for mentees from diverse backgrounds through didactic training and mentor skills development; 8) Integrate Scholars into programs and services of the current and planned local UM1 and

companion grants and the CTSA Consortium. Our approach is to foster Scholars in embracing a translational science mindset using a “cohort training model” that we have leveraged successfully at UNC, immersing Scholars in the frameworks, methods and operational principles used by their peers in other disciplines while

creating a support system that encourages retention in science. CTSA K12 Scholars will mature into productive and independent translational scientists that will accelerate research findings into health and societal benefits by approaching their science and leadership from a lens of equity.