Research Career Development Support Core (RCDSC) There is abundant evidence that older adults with serious illness have poor quality of life and the care of these individuals is in need of improvement. One way to improve the system of care is to increase the evidence base in palliative medicine and geriatrics. A major barrier to accomplishing this goal is the lack of scientific investigators. There are two periods when junior researchers are vulnerable and need additional support to assure they can obtain independence. The first is early in their careers when they are nearing the end of fellowship or are beginning their faculty appointments and are too junior to obtain even small career development awards. The second is later in their career when they have completed or will soon complete their external career development award (e.g. K awards) and need additional support as they work to obtain their first R01 or equivalent grant. We propose a new and innovative Research Career Development Support Core (RCDSC) for our Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC). The goal of the RCDSC is to create a program of formal mentorship, didactic coursework, and original research projects to develop fellows/junior faculty such that they are competitive for career development awards or larger research grants. Our center is particularly unique in that we have a strong pipeline of highly qualified and motivated junior faculty and fellows at various stages of career development. In conjunction with our Research Career Development Core (RCDC), we have created a continuum of support to transform promising junior investigators into independent researchers. We have identified appropriate didactic coursework, a monthly seminar in Academic Survival and Leadership, Journal Club, and a biweekly Research-In-Progress Seminar to provide RCDSC scholars with feedback on research activities. Training and weekly mentoring will occur in a variety of venues and will include clear roles and responsibilities for RCDSC scholars and mentors alike. We have incorporated the use of learning contracts and individualized project tracking grids that infuse a spirit of accountability and provide a structure for monitoring progress. Regular and rigorous evaluation of the scholars as well as the program has been integrated into the program. Quantitative and qualitative curricular and mentoring assessments will provide both process and outcomes data allowing real-time adjustments for each scholar. Our proposal is well integrated with the larger OAIC and taps into the intensive research environment of the Mount Sinai Health System and the currently existing Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program. Oversight of the RCDSC assures that the core's co-leaders interact on a regular basis with our OAIC's Leadership and Administrative Core, the Research Advisory Committee, and the Executive Committee to assure that the RCDSC operates smoothly and efficiently to create a group of well-supported junior investigators who will improve the care of older adults with serious illness and their families.
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