The primary aim of the Clinical Investigator Preparatory Program is to develop independent clinical investigators who are capable of leading clinical research programs that will attract extramural funding, advance the vision and mission of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and foster their careers as academicians and scientists. A two-year curriculum that assembles existing mentors, didactic courses, seminars, workshops, research expertise, and institutional resources, has been designed with specific aims to provide graduate students, fellows and junior faculty knowledge and skills to: select and apply appropriate study design and statistics to one's own research; conduct clinical research according to professional and legal ethics; lead and manage a productive career in clinical research; acquire and maintain expertise in one's own research domain; teach and communicate scientific knowledge through verbal presentations; and write well-organized, logical journal publications, research proposals and grant applications. Several tracking mechanisms and evaluation methods will be used to determine the success of this program toward developing the careers of clinical investigators. They include: 1) a pretest-posttest questionnaire, 2) portfolio assessment, 3) progress reports and review by an advisory committee, 4) external program review, 5) post-program follow-up of multiple outcomes, and 6) participant peer review.
