Recent reports by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and others have emphasized the need for a new generation of investigators that are trained in ?interdisciplinary, transformative translational research? and in the leadership and team skills to engage in effective collaborative partnerships. The KL2 Core is an essential component of the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance (GaCTSA) and will respond to these critical needs to train a new and diverse generation of clinical and translational research (CTR) investigators who will carry out high impact research and translate new discoveries to improve health. The KL2 core is focused on enhancing the career development of a diverse and talented group of junior faculty (Instructor or Assistant Professor level) with either PharmD, PhD and/or MD degrees at the GaCTSA partner institutions (Emory University, Morehouse School of Medicine [MSM], Georgia Institute of Technology [Georgia Tech], and the University of Georgia [UGA]) with substantial potential to become successful and transformative biomedical researchers. The GaCTSA KL2 core will provide personalized training pathways for KL2 scholars, and didactic and mentored research training to enhance career development. We will build on previous successes of our CTSA and the solid foundation built over the past decade: 73% of our former scholars have gone on to obtain federal funding as PI; 74% of our KL2 scholars have been women; 21% have been from an underrepresented minority (URM) group; 96% remain engaged in careers that encompass CTR; and 5 former KL2 scholars have assumed leadership positions in the GaCTSA. Expansion of the number of KL2 scholars, the integration of UGA into GaCTSA research education programs, and further innovation of our successful KL2 program is proposed. We describe new programs on mentor training, team science training, leadership training, entrepreneurship training, new training in ?big data? analytics, and establishing personalized training pathways to meet the goals and needs of junior faculty at the collaborating institutions. A comprehensive evaluation plan will measure the impact of these activities. We will rely on evidence-based data to make midcourse corrections, as needed.
The specific aims of the KL2 Core include: 1) to promote and enhance personalized career development of a diverse cadre of junior faculty at the four GaCTSA institutions who will become successful CTR investigators and leaders of multidisciplinary research teams; 2) to continue to support and innovate the successful GaCTSA Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) program and Certificate Program in Translational Research (CPTR) which provide didactic and mentored CTR training to KL2 scholars and other trainees; and 3) to enhance mentorship training and enrich influential mentoring activities for the next generation of CTR investigators in collaboration with the MSM NIH funded National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Research Resources and Outreach Core (RROC).
