1. Writing the T-32 Grant Curriculum and Evaluation Component –Assistance from the Office of Educational Development
Linda S. Behar-Horenstein, Ph.D.,
Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor
College of Education
Affiliate Professor and Co-PI, HRSA Faculty Development College of Dentistry or

2. INTRODUCTION TO THIS SECTION
1. The T-32 is for individuals planning to pursue careers in primary care research. 2. The award offers a supervised research program with the primary objective of developing/extending research skills and knowledge to prepare trainees for a research career. 3. Awards are given to primary care researchers to facilitate training in problems, methods and settings that previously have been inadequately pursued or utilized in the U.S. 4. Goal of award is to increase numbers of qualified individuals who are willing to conduct research in primary medical care to generate requisite knowledge with the aim of ensuring that all Americans gain access to primary care.

3. Challenges posed to grant writers
Lack of clarity
Intended outcomes/ benefits not specified
Detail on describing training programs, and how training is likely to result in trainees’ development of an independent line of research, one that is distinguishable from that of the mentor.
Most importantly provide explicit details outlining program of study, and intended outcomes.

4. Review of T-32 Guidelines
1. What will trainees experience, do, or study? 2. What are the objectives of the training program? 3. What is the sequence of training activities? 4. How will achievement of training program activities be evaluated?
IN A REVIEW OF T-32 GUIDELINES, ADVICE OF PROPOSAL WRITERS, AND SUMMARIES OF REASONS FOR REJECTING T-32 PROPOSALS, COMMON KEY POINTS THAT EMERGED RELATE TO A LACK OF CLARITY AND DETAIL ON DESCRIBING TRAINING PROGRAMS , AND HOW TRAINING IS LIKELY TO RESULT IN TRAINEES’ DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT LINE OF RESEARCH, ONE THAT IS DISTINGUISHABLE FROM THAT OF THE MENTOR, AND AND MOST IMPORTANTLY A PROPOSAL THAT PROVIDES EXPLICIT DETAILS OUTLINING PROGRAM OF STUDY, AND INTENDED OUTCOMES.
THIS INFORMATION LEADS US TO RAISE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS THAT PERTAIN TO DEVELOPING THIS PORTION OF THE GRANT.

5. HSC Office of Educational Development
Services – Write evaluation components of training and clinical science translational grants.
Expertise-
Map competencies to courses and program experiences
Provide mentored experiences in conceptualizing educational research studies,
Develop program evaluation plans.
Assist with analysis of qualitative and quantitative data.
Align inputs, activities with measurement foci and intended outcomes.

6. HSC Office of Educational Development
What we have accomplished – Contributed to writing evaluation components of T32, T35, and CTSA grants and HRSA competitive renewal for Dentistry. Co-developed Educational Learning and Scholarship Community for Health Science Colleges.

7. HSC Office of Educational Development
Projections for future work – CTSA: Director of Educational Development and Evaluation
Track all CTSA-funded trainees to assess their core competencies, attainment of milestones, and academic performance into the future after completion of the program
Pedagogical interventions and opportunities that foster faculty growth in teaching, educational research, and assessment.
Create and teach three new courses:
So You Want to be a Professor
Qualitative Literacy for Translational Researchers
Leadership for Investigators

12. Example of recently submitted T-32
Modified Proposal Excerpt
Suggested Change
Participants… experience exposure to both disciplines through … courses and “side-by-side” training … gain an appreciation for the potential value of clinical and basic science research partnerships, to gain better understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic and critical research questions.
By taking advanced coursework and working with in mentor’s lab or clinic, trainees will be expected to (1) identify overarching research questions and (2) develop a research study that will identify or strengthen an understanding underlying mechanisms of the pathophysiology of chronic pain, leading to development therapeutics, or (3) psycho-social interventions that will minimize chronic pain.
STATING THAT THAT TRAINEE WILL GAIN AN APPRECIATION FOR POTENTIAL VALUE OR, GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING DOES NOT TELL THE READER WHAT THE TRAINEE WILL DO OR HOW THEIR PROGRAM WILLT PREPARE THEM FOR A SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST OR HOW THE RESEARCHER WILL BECOME CAPABLE OF STUDYING PROBLEMS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFULLY INVESTIGATED, OR ADDRESS OTHER BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH DILEMMAS THAT BEG FOR INTERVENTION.

13. Example of training experience
Modified Proposal Excerpt
Suggested Change
Emphasizes use of regular meetings, both informal and formal, between trainees and core faculty; weekly informal discussions to create optimal environment for interaction between trainees and mentors.
Meetings with mentors will be scheduled weekly. Mentors will ask trainee to summarize their experiences, ask questions about what they did not understand and what was of interest.
Through written work, trainee will be asked to show how they will locate the relevant research problem, formulate research questions, select the research, anticipate data collection process and analysis to address the research problem.
OBSERVE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PROPOSAL EXCERPT AND THE SUGGESTED CHANGE. IN THE EXCERPT, IT IS UNCLEAR HOW FREQUENTLY MEETINGS OCCUR AND WHAT THEIR PURPOSE IS RELATIVE TO TRAINING TO THE T-32 AWARDEE. IN SUGGESTED CHANGES, THERE IS A CLEAR STATEMENT INDICATING WHAT THE TRAINEE IS EXPECTED TO DO WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF INTERACTIONS AND MEETINGS. MOREOVER, STATING THE FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS INDICATES THAT METNORING IS SERIOUS, AND ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM, THAT IN AND OF ITSELF NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED.

14. Training
1. Describe career development plan in detail.
2. Proposed training should be beyond a graduate program.
3. Identify how program will enhance attainment of specific outcomes trainee seeks.
4. Shows link between coursework and proposed research.
5. Explain content and frequency of meetings with supervisions.
5. Explain how work will help others, lead to clinical understandings, new studies, or be cited by others in the field.
HOW ARE THESE EXPERIENCES EVALUATED? WHAT IS THE TRAINEE EXPECTED TO DO OR SHOW THAT INDICATES BEHAVIORAL CHANGE AND GROWTH IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE MORE THAN FOUR TO SIX SPECIFIC AIMS,
SELECT MENTORS OR CO-MENTOR TEAMS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF ADVISING STUDENTS ON ALL ASPECTS OF THEIR WORK.
HAVE A STATISTICIAN THAT IS WELL VERSED IN YOUR RESEARCH AREA AS A CONSULTANT.

15. Reporting Training Components
1. Describe potential confounds in proposed research.
2. Provide a comprehensive overview of the literature; do not report selectively.
3. Write an analytical plan and use power analysis to support sample size.
4. Explain why proposed training is essential to the development of the scientists you propose to train.

16. Problems and Quick Fixes
REQUIRED COURSES-
Problems and Quick Fixes

17. Modified Proposal Excerpt
Suggested change
Science of Clinical Research
Psychosocial aspects of research Development
Describe the application of randomization; sample size; blinding; analysis of clinical trails data. After discussing advantages/ limitations of quasi-experimental designs – non-equivalent control group designs, interrupted times series designs, case series and meta-analysis, select appropriate research design.
Identify quality of life measures, models of health decision-making and attitudinal/behavioral measures. Describe threats to validity. Select a scale with psychometric properties including reliability and construct validity that support its use.

18. Describe comprehensive evaluation plan
Modified Proposal Excerpt
Suggested Change
Research Development –Ability to:
Develop research ideas and hypotheses.
Based on reading of scientific literature, present and critique strengths and weaknesses of potential research designs that could be used to study research ideas.
Research Design –
Evaluate trainee’s ability Integrate basic, clinical and applied research strategies and TO
Understand different designs, applications, and the potential for translation.
Apply bio-statistical and epidemiological methods to clinical research data.
Develop statistical analysis plan and implement strategies for statistical design. Identify problems that arise in data collection (such as data integrity or missing data) and communicate the resolution of those problems in study findings in oral and written reports for colleagues and local community.

19. Summary of Key Points
1. Provide a detailed and comprehensive description of training program and link it with training objectives.
2. Stress the scientific, career-related and patient-care benefits of the research that are supported by the training program.

20. Summary of Key Points
3. Describe a rigorous evaluation plan that assesses the quality and effectiveness of training. Review the plan for adequacy and sufficiency in tracking career outcomes of trainees to determine if program is successful. 4. Do not let fulfillment of grant evaluation be the end point. Seek to publish and present research findings that advance science and patient care.

21. Summary of Key Points
5. Include the description of tracking a system for participants following program completion, perhaps using social network analysis to demonstrate changes in T32 trainee’s publications and career development.
6. Seek assistance from the HSC Office of Educational Development early during development of your grant preparation – it will improve the proposal quality and communicate to reviewers that you have developed a proposal that provides both training and a commitment to evaluating program quality.

22. Writing the T-32 Grant Curriculum and Evaluation Component –Assistance from the Office of Educational Development
Linda S. Behar-Horenstein, Ph.D.,
Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor
College of Education
Affiliate Professor and Co-PI, HRSA Faculty Development College of Dentistry or