- Career Development Core A major strategic initiative of the UC Davis NIEHS Core Center is to promote the professional development of early stage investigators (ESI) in environmental health science (EHS). To this end, the Career Development Program will provide support and mentoring to ESI with the goal of fostering their development as independent investigators in EHS. To promote the development of new areas of research that align with the Center mission and strategic vision, the Career Development Program will also recruit established investigators new to EHS who bring expertise, innovative approaches or technology that expand EHS research opportunities in the Center. The specific objectives of the Career Development Program are to: (1) Establish an EHS Scholars Program to recruit, support, mentor and promote the professional development of two to three outstanding junior faculty (referred to as ESI EHS scholars) and one to two established investigators new to EHS whose expertise and research interests align with the strategic vision of the Center; and (2) Support activities that foster the career development and research skills of Center investigators in EHS. Services provided by the Program include: (1) a structured mentoring program for ESI EHS Scholars and other Center ESIs who receive funding from the Center's Pilot Project Program; (2) priority access to career development resources available through the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) Mentored Clinical Research Training Program (MCRTP) and the EHS Center's Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC); (3) development and implementation of a course on best practices in research program management; and (4) a Center Peer Review Program to provide constructive feedback on grant proposals and manuscripts. The significance of this Program is underscored by an identified need for resources to support and promote the careers of junior faculty within the Center and across UC Davis and a similar need for resources to attract established investigators to EHS research. Promoting the professional development of ESIs interested in EHS-related research and recruiting established investigators new to EHS is critically important for: (1) maintaining and reinvigorating the historic strengths of UC Davis in environmental health science research; (2) expanding current research activities at UC Davis to explore conceptual or technical innovations of relevance to EHS research; and (3) developing new areas of research that align with the Center mission and strategic vision.
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