The health of any field of endeavor is measured in large part by the commitment of its members to nurturing the development of young investigators. The STD field is no exception, and the investigators who comprise the Sexually Transmitted Infections-Topical Microbicide Cooperative Research Centers have trained a new generation of STD investigators who have matured into outstanding, independent researchers. The University of Washington has had an active Developmental Awards Program since the inception of the STD CRC's in 1991, supporting 22 new investigators. Of these, 19 (86%) currently hold faculty (or equivalent) appointments and continue to work in STD research; 14 (64%) serve as principal investigators on research grants, including NIH-funded R01 's, P01's, and K awards; most of the others are co-investigators. Recipients of developmental funds at other STD-CRC sites have demonstrated similar success. The new STI-TM CRC's will have a single Developmental Awards Program serving the STD community. This represents an important and broad commitment to the development of young investigators to take the place of those of us who are balding or graying (or both). This application proposes that the University of Washington serve as the administrative center for the new STI-TM CRC Developmental Awards Program. The administrative framework for a Developmental Awards Program is already in place at the University of Washington, and the Director has many years of experience in the direction of such a program. The proposed program, developed in consultation with the Principal Investigators of the competing STI-TM CRC's, will fund four Developmental Awards per year, focusing on young investigators who are in the critical period of transition from fellowship to faculty status and are collecting data required to compete successfully for their first independent grant. To optimize the success of the program, these awards will be mentored awards, similar to the NIH K awards, so that all aspects of career development will be addressed during the award period. Applications, solicited from both STI-TM CRC and external research sites, will be reviewed by the STI-TM CRC Executive Committee, and progress will be monitored by this committee.
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