Frequently Asked Questions
I. Eligibility
- Are non-US citizen eligible for this K-12 program?
- In accordance with NIH policy, the award is only for US Citizens or permanent residents. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.
- Is this for MDs and clinicians only? Can PhDs apply?
- Anyone with a doctorate or PhD degree or its equivalent is eligible, including: MD, PhD, DPH, DO, DDS, DMD, OD, DC, PharmD, ND, or PsyD.
- 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?
- Those who have been a principal investigator on a K award, an R01, or R21 or on a subproject of a Program Project (P01), Center (P50, P60, U54) are not eligible. However, Scholars may have had support on a NRSA grant (F or T) or an NIH small grant (R03).
- Can 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 in the University. However, you will need an appointment when you enroll as a Scholar. At the time of application, a letter is required from the department chair indicating you will have an appointment should you be selected as a Scholar.
- What level of training do I need? (fellow, postdoc, or faculty)?
- We are interested in faculty in their first four years as an Assistant Professor.
- If I am planning a career in basic science research (e.g., laboratory, animal research), am I eligible for this program?
- No, this program is designed for individuals who are preparing for careers in clinical research.
- If I am a co-investigator, but have never been a principal investigator on a R01, am I still eligible?
- Yes.
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II. Application
- Does each applicant have to be approved by the NIH as well as by the University?
- All Scholars are selected by the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee (MAC) based on their application materials. The materials from the selected Scholars are then forwarded to NIH for final approval.
- How many cycles of applications are there? What are the submission dates?
- We anticipate having an annual submission date, with Scholars generally starting in July of that year.
- I am trying to determine whether the K12 program at Pitt is going to be more or less competitive than an individual K23 career development award.
- This is something that should be discussed with your mentor and someone from the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee (MAC) to determine which mechanism is better suited for you, given your level of training and experience.
- How many open positions are there?
- The number of open positions varies by year. Please check with the program coordinator for more specific details.
- Who can I contact with questions?
- Heather Johnson is the Program Coordinator. Heather can be reached by telephone at 412.692.4845 or through e-mail at mcrsp@pitt.edu.
- What elements should be included in my application to make it a very 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 demonstration of an understanding of what multidisciplinary research is;
- The selection of mentors from different and divergent disciplines, likely from different departments, divisions, 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 chief, chair, or dean; and
- The provision of financial and other resources to support your research career development as indicated by the chief, chair, or dean's letter of support.
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III. Program
- What is the duration of support?
- Scholars can be supported for two years, during which time they are encouraged to develop a proposal for a K award or another career development award.
- Is a master degree required training for Scholars?
- We want every Scholar to pursue individualized training that best suits their background and career development plan. However, if an applicant does not have an advanced clinical research degree, he/she is expected to seek a Master of Science in Clinical Research or equivalent degree while in the program.
- Do I need to spend 75% in CRSP?
- Yes. In order to maximize the training you receive, you must have 75% protected time as a Scholar. The only exception to this would be a discipline such as surgery where you can only devote up to 50% effort for clinical work to maintain your clinical skills.
- Can 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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IV. 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 very divergent disciplines. For example, pharmacy and pharmacology would not be considered divergent nor would infectious disease and microbiology. On the other hand, a project involving a microbiologist, a neuropathologist, and a immunologist would be considered divergent.
- Do I select my mentors? If so, how do I select my mentors?
- Scholars are encouraged to work with their division chief or department chair and members of the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee (MAC) to select mentors that are appropriate given their area of research.
- How many disciplines do the mentors need to represent?
- Each mentor should be from a different discipline.
- Can all of the mentors be paid?
- We do not provide any financial support for the mentors
- Can anyone serve as a mentor?
- Mentors must have established research careers generally being a Principal Investigator of an R01 or equivalent with 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 currently CRSP approved of the program. The mentors you select will have to be approved by the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee (MAC).
- 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 a traditional single discipline or multiple disciplines working individually with a mentee approach. It is the synergy created when investigators from multiple disciplines come together that will result in the development of new scientific approaches. This team mentoring model provides benefits for the mentee as he/she learns multidisciplinary methods of discovery and the mentors as they have the opportunity to bring fresh perspectives to the research question they are examining. The CRSP is promoting the development of this team science through the conduct of multidisciplinary research and the use of team mentoring for mentees.The team of primary mentors should meet together with Scholar on a regular basis, at least monthly. The team mentoring plan submitted as part of the application should reflect this co-mentoring approach.
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V. Multidisciplinary Clinical Research
- What is the difference between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary?
- 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 issues 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 existing interdisciplinary sciences.
- What is Clinical Research?
- Clinical research has generally been defined to include three different areas:
- Patient oriented research: 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
- Translational research
- Outcomes research and health services research
- Is basic or animal research considered clinical research?
- No. Clinical research as defined by 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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VI. Mechanism of support
- Besides my salary, what else is supported?
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- 75% salary support (up to $75,000) for junior faculty scholars as well as associated fringe benefits. The total salary must be based on a 12-month appointment and the level of effort related to the CRSP activities. In all cases, 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 $2700 support for scholars 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 trainees' first year that will be used to provide support for a project designed by the scholar; and
- consultative support through its Research Development Core. 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 the salary, or is my salary now 75% of my original salary?
- It is expected that your department will cover the 25% of your salary, with an expectation that you will contribute 25% to the department in teaching, patient care, or other activities.
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