The primary objective of the University of Kansas Medical Center Clinical Research Curriculum Program (CRCP) is to develop investigators with a strong foundation in clinical research principles and methods. This renewal will build upon a successful CRCP program which has enrolled a total of 27 Scholars who have published over 150 manuscripts and been funded on over 50 grants as a PI or Co-I. The program also takes advantage of recent institutional developments such as a successful $500 million university capital campaign and a five year strategy for Life Sciences Research. These efforts will significantly boost the number of endowed professorships, support construction of research buildings such as a 210,000 sq ft biomedical sciences building, and provide start-up packages for newly recruited faculty. This K30 renewal will build on prior successes under the continued direction of Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, MD, MPH, MS, the primary architect of the institution's faculty development in clinical research training programs. Trainees in the program, known as CRCP Scholars, will participate in: 1) a flexible two-year, 24 credit hour core curriculum with three tracks (clinical iepidemiology, health services research, and translational research; 2) a series of enhanced pre-existing and newly developed group learning activities including a monthly Distinguished Visiting Scholars Series, bimonthly Interdisciplinary Research Seminar series, and monthly Workshops; 3) a structured program of research apprenticeship; and, 4) a program that provides technical resources such as biostatistical consultation. The program will continue to support two levels of Scholars: the novice and the transitional investigator. In response to concerns about the limitations of the MPH as a research degree, we created a new MS in Clinical Research that will be in place within the next year. A series of existing courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, statistical computing, and grant writing alongside the development of 11 new courses will serve as the basis for the curriculum. The program will be rigorous and require a thesis at the level of a peer-reviewed manuscript. In this renewal phase, the Executive Committee will enhance monitoring and feedback, develop additional courses and web-based courses, and support a range of technical resources. Regularly scheduled meetings will occur with a new Internal Advisory Board chaired by a clinical investigator and department chair, and an Extemal Advisory Board composed of three nationally renowned investigators. Overall, the program is designed to increase the number of program Scholars who apply for and receive extramural funding for clinical research at both the novice and transitional investigator levels.
