Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
- Are non-U.S. citizens eligible for this K12 program?
- In accordance with National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy, the program is only for U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.
- Is the program for MDs and clinicians only? May PhDs apply?
- Anyone with a doctoral degree (e.g., MD, PhD, DPH, DO, DDS, DMD, OD, DC, PharmD, ND, or PsyD) is eligible.
- Do I have to have a clinical degree to apply?
- You do not have to have a clinical degree; however, your career goals and interests must be in multidisciplinary clinical research.
- Am I eligible if I already had a K23 award or another award?
- Individuals are not eligible if they have been a principal investigator on the following: an R01 award; a subproject of a Program Project (P01) or Center Project (P50, P60, U54); a mentored career development (K-series) award; or other equivalent research grant. However, they are eligible if have had support from a National Research Service Award (F or T) or an NIH small grant (R03).
- If I am a co-investigator but have never been a principal investigator on an R01, am I still eligible for the program?
- Yes.
- May I apply to the program if I do not have an appointment within the University?
- At the time of application, you do not have to have an appointment within the University. However, you will need an appointment when you enroll as a CRSP scholar. At the time of application, you will need to submit a letter from the department chair indicating that you will have an appointment if you are selected as a scholar.
- What level of training do I need (fellow, postdoctoral trainee, or faculty)?
- We are interested in faculty in their first 4 years as an assistant professor.
- If I am planning a career in basic science research (e.g., laboratory or animal research), am I eligible for the program?
- No. This program is designed for individuals who are preparing for careers in clinical research.
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Application
- Does each applicant have to be approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as by the University of Pittsburgh?
- CRSP scholars are selected by the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee, based on their application materials. After scholars are selected for the program, their materials are forwarded to the NIH for final approval.
- Is the K12 program at the University of Pittsburgh likely to be more competitive or less competitive than an individual K23 career development award?
- You should talk with your mentor and someone from the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee to determine which mechanism is better suited for you, based on your level of training and experience.
- How many cycles of applications are there? What are the submission dates? How many open positions are there?
- We anticipate having an annual submission date, with scholars generally starting in the July following their acceptance into the program. The number of open positions varies from year to year. For specific details, please contact Heather Johnson, the program coordinator, by telephone at 412-692-4845 or via e-mail at mcrsp@pitt.edu.
- Is a letter of intent required?
- Interested candidates who are internal applicants do not need to submit a letter of intent. However, external applicants who are not at the University of Pittsburgh must obtain a letter of intent/support from the Department Chair of the impending position confirming their support of the applicant and announcing the external applicant's submission. This letter should be addressed to the CRSP Program Director, Wishwa N. Kapoor, MD, MPH.
- Who may apply as an external applicant?
- Interested candidates who are not at the University of Pittsburgh that will be starting at the University by January 1, 2010 can be considered an external applicant. A letter of intent from the Department Chair indicating their support of an external applicant is required. External applicants who have not identified a mentoring team are encouraged to contact members of the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee, who share a common discipline, for assistance in identifying potential mentors in their area of research.
- What elements should be included in my application to make it a strong application?
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There are a number of elements that are considered essential to a strong application:
- Well thought out research and career development plans.
- A clear commitment to a career in multidisciplinary clinical research.
- A demonstrated understanding of what multidisciplinary research is.
- The selection of mentors from different and divergent disciplines, most likely from different divisions, departments, or schools.
- A strong plan for team mentoring and a demonstrated understanding of what we mean by team mentoring in the mentors' letters.
- Planned or current affiliation with a University laboratory, center, institute, or research program.
- A clear promise of protected time by your division chief, department chair, or dean.
- The provision of financial and other resources to support your research career development, as indicated in your letter of support from your division chief, department chair, or dean.
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Program
- What is the duration of support?
- Scholars can be supported for 2 years, during which time they are encouraged to develop a proposal for a K award or another career development award.
- Is a master's degree required training for CRSP scholars?
- We want every scholar to pursue individualized training that best suits his or her background and career development plan. However, if an applicant does not have an advanced clinical research degree, he or she is expected to seek a Master of Science in Clinical Research or an equivalent degree while in the program.
- Do I need to spend 75% of my time in CRSP?
- Yes. To maximize the training you receive, you must have 75% protected time to devote to CRSP activities.
- May I apply for a K award while I am in CRSP?
- Absolutely. We encourage all scholars to apply for a K award in their first year of the program.
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Mentoring
- How many mentors do I need?
- Scholars are encouraged to have as many mentors as is appropriate, given their area of research. A minimum of two primary mentors from different disciplines is required. We encourage you to select mentors from highly divergent disciplines. On the one hand, pharmacy and pharmacology would not be considered divergent, nor would infectious diseases and microbiology. On the other hand, a project involving a microbiologist, a neuropathologist, and an immunologist would be considered divergent.
- Do I select my mentors? If so, how do I select them?
- Scholars are encouraged to work with their division chief or department chair and members of the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee to select mentors that are appropriate, based on their area of research.
- How many disciplines do the mentors need to represent?
- Each mentor should be from a different discipline.
- Will all of the mentors be paid?
- We do not provide any financial support for the mentors.
- May anyone serve as a mentor?
- Mentors must have an established research career (as indicated, for example, by having experience as the principal investigator of an R01 or equivalent) and a record of mentoring. Generally, each scholar will have two primary mentors and other co-mentors. Your mentors do not have to be on the current CRSP approved list, but they will have to be approved by the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee.
- What is team mentoring?
- A critical element of the CRSP is the use of team mentoring. For this program, team mentoring means more than having multiple mentors working with the mentee; it means having mentors working together as a team to contribute to the mentee's career development. The concept was developed through the NIH Roadmap initiative, which found that "the scale and complexity of today's biomedical research problems increasingly demands that scientists move beyond the confines of their own discipline and explore new organizational models for team science." Today's research requires bringing together the perspectives of multiple disciplines to examine a research question right from the beginning. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to develop and conduct research projects that are new and innovative and that would not be possible using mentors from a single discipline or mentors from multiple disciplines working individually with a mentee. It is the synergy created when investigators from multiple disciplines come together that will result in the development of new scientific approaches. The team mentoring model provides benefits for the mentees, since they learn multidisciplinary methods of discovery, and it also provides benefits for the mentors, since it gives them the opportunity to bring fresh perspectives to the research question that they are examining. The CRSP is promoting the development of team science through the implementation of multidisciplinary research and the use of team mentoring for mentees. The team mentoring plan submitted as part of the application should reflect this co-mentoring approach and should explicitly state how often the team of mentors will meet together.
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Multidisciplinary Clinical Research
- What is the difference between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research?
- As noted in the NIH Roadmap initiative, a multidisciplinary approach brings together numerous experts from diverse disciplines to collectively address a complex problem, with each expert addressing the problem from the perspective of his or her own discipline. In contrast, an interdisciplinary approach is what results from the melding of two or more disciplines to create a new (interdisciplinary) science. Biophysics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, bioengineering, social neuroscience, and psychoneuroimmunology are just a few examples of interdisciplinary sciences.
- What is clinical research?
- Clinical research has generally been defined to include the following areas:
- Patient-oriented research-i.e., research conducted with human subjects (or on material of human origin, such as tissues, specimens, and cognitive phenomena) for which an investigator (or colleague) directly interacts with human subjects. This area of research includes:
- Mechanisms of human disease.
- Therapeutic interventions.
- Clinical trials.
- Translational research.
- Development of new technologies.
- Epidemiologic and behavioral studies.
- Outcomes research and health services research.
- Is basic or animal research considered clinical research?
- No. Clinical research as defined by the NIH for the purpose of this program includes patient-oriented research, translational research, small- and large-scale clinical investigations and trials, epidemiologic and natural history studies, and outcomes and health services research.
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Salary and Other Support
- What is supported?
- The program offers the following:
- 75% salary support for junior faculty members, as well as associated fringe benefits, for up to 2 years. The total salary must be based on a 12-month appointment and the level of effort related to CRSP activities. In all cases, the salary requested must be consistent with the level of effort.
- Support for tuition and fees related to multidisciplinary clinical research training.
- Support for books related to multidisciplinary clinical research training.
- Up to $1,500 support to travel to the annual NIH meeting for scholars and to one additional training or scientific meeting per year.
- Typically, $25,000 per year, starting in the first year, to be used to provide support for a scholar-initiated project.
- Consultative support through the Research Development Core (RDC). RDC members will offer expert consultations on grant writing, research methodology, measurement adaptation and evaluation, form design, protocol preparation, data management, data collection, and analysis.
- If I am a faculty member, who pays the other 25% of my salary, or is my salary now 75% of my original salary?
- The program expects that your department will cover the 25% of your salary and that you will contribute 25% to your department in teaching, patient care, or other activities.
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Additional Questions
- Whom should I contact if I have additional questions?
- Contact Heather Johnson, the program coordinator, by telephone at 412-692-4845 or via e-mail at mcrsp@pitt.edu.
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