1. Career Development Awards Caroline Richardson, MD Erik Lindbloom, MD Michael Crouch, MD

2. Career Development Awards What are they? –NIH K awards –RWJ programs –NGO’s (ADA, AHA ACS) Who are they for? How do I get one?

3. What is a Career Development Award? A grant that usually has the following properties: over 3 to 5 years cover 25 to 75% of your salary for a person, not for a project

4. What is a career development award? Often requires a senior mentor Institutional support Networking pilot work, courses, experience Goal: advance you in your career track

5. K grants K 23 – Mentored Patient-Oriented Research K 08 - Mentored Clinical Scientist Development http://grants1.nih.gov/training/careerdevelo pmentawards.htm

6. K-23 5 years of $75,000 for salary Plus $25,000 per year for research, courses and travel. Mentor and Institutional support is critical You are expected to take classes Must have publications, but not too many

7. K 23 - disadvantages You must do research 75% of your time This limits clinical and teaching 8% indirect rate Little money for research itself

8. Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program Physician Faculty Scholars Program (formerly the Generalist Scholars Program) Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (Minority) –http://www.amfdp.org/fellows.htm

9. Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program –Fellowship salary, 3 years –Formal coursework –Health Services Research, multidisciplinary –Community Based Participatory Research –Minimal clinical time

10. Robert Wood Johnson Physician Faculty Scholars Program –(used to be generalist) –Must have publications, after CSP –$300,000 over 3 years

11. Foundation Career Development Awards American Diabetes Association –$120,000 / year for 3 years –Junior Faculty Award American Cancer Society –Mentored Research Scholar Grant in Applied and Clinical Research –$135,000 / year for 5 years American Heart Association –65,000 per year x 4 years –Scientist Development Grant

12. Who are they for? Physicians (or PhDs) with a good idea A commitment to research Some background and training in research Some pilot work / publications (minimal) Need for training or mentorship Promise or potential to do great things Strong support / mentorship

13. How do I get a career development award? Playing the funding game.

14. Mentored Awards: Finding a mentor For NIH – must be very senior Independent investigator –NIH funded for 20 years –Lots of previous mentees who are doing great things –Time to work with you –Existing relationship with you

15. Solutions to the mentor problem Move to a new institution Go outside of your department Get a medium seniority primary mentor and have a very senior co-mentor to mentor your mentor in mentoring. Mentoring at a distance is a problem NIH asks distance between your office and your mentors office.

16. Institutional Support Evidence: –Lots of other recipients who are doing well –A nice letter from the dean –Money (cost sharing, research assistant support) Why some short sighted chairs don’t like career development grants? Indirects

17. Selling You: A fine balance You are brilliant and accomplished But You have areas that you need training in You have a long track record But Your best work is yet to come.

18. Research Project vs. Career Development Activity Career Development Courses in epidemiology of x Learn how to run clinical trials Learn how to write a fundable RO1 Research Project Study on epi of x Run a SMALL clinical trial or work on a mentors clinical trial Write a fundable RO1

19. Focus, Focus, Focus NIH does not like people who are good at lots of different things. Being good at lots of different things is evidence of “lack of focus” People sometimes leave things off their CV if they suggest a broad field of interest Publications should be related to proposal. Not true in RWJ, other foundations.

20. Pitfalls Promising too much – one project only Mentor not near or not senior enough No evidence of prior work, potential No institutional support Poorly written grant (evidence that your mentor is not helping you) No link between career development and research plan Making the reviewers feel stupid(very bad)

21. Mid-career Awards Fund you to be a mentor (25% time) Need to move in a new direction Excellent track record – publications Funded RO1s (usually several) Work with someone in the new area

22. Summary If you are serious about doing research in Family Medicine, you need a career development award. With few exceptions, you will probably need to go outside of your department to find an appropriate mentor There are many options, each with advantages and disadvantages.