The Center for Collaborative Research in Minority Health and Health Disparities (CCRMHD) at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus proposes an Investigator Development Core (IDC) for its budgetary cycle 2017-2022. The CCRMHD will coordinate a pilot-project program (PPP) to nurture the growth of promising junior faculty within the UPR-MSC by soliciting, reviewing, and awarding funds to innovative proposals that will lead to competitive independent funding. The overall goals of the IDC are three-fold: 1) to mentor early career investigators as they transition to independent funding; 2) to fund innovative basic, behavioral and/or clinical pilot projects focusing on health disparities and/or minority health; 3) to match RCMI faculty with outside collaborators/mentors in order to strengthen collaborative networks. At the end of the proposed cycle, it is expected that 6-8 Early Stage Investigators (ESI), working on basic biomedical, behavioral and/or health services/clinical research, will have been funded, mentored, and well on their way to independent funding relevant to minority health and health disparities. We plan to accomplish this goal through the following Specific Aims: Grantees will receive a two-year grant of $35-50,000 per year in order to sustain studies for a sufficient period of time to compete successfully for outside funding. Mentoring activities will include informal meetings, rehearsal of scientific presentations, discussion of topics relevant to successful transition to running their own labs (using the best-seller book: At the Helm: Leading your Laboratory); and mock study-sections. Tracking and evaluation mechanisms will be established to measure scientific progress and ensure that the goals of the program are met, including increasing the number of publications, generating preliminary data, and increasing grant applications and awards (including R-type and K awards). Outcome metrics will be used to refine or refocus the solicitation, review, selection, and funding of applications made to the PPP. Staff from the Administrative Core will support and monitor full compliance with local and federal regulatory requirements. The IDC will be directed by Dr. Gregory J. Quirk, a senior neuroscientist at UPR-RCM, who currently serves as chair of a standing study-section at NIH-Center for Scientific Review and has been awarded an R35 grant at NIMH. Dr. Quirk, a basic biomedical researcher, will be assisted by an advisory committee that will include representation of the behavioral and health services/clinical areas. The IDC will coordinate closely with the Pilot Project Program of the Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium (PRCTRC), to share mentoring activities and resources and avoid support overlap.
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