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.