Mentored Career Development Program

Creating a new collaborative approach to training the next generation of researchers in Wisconsin

Full Project Name:Mentored Career Development Program: Innovative Team-based Transdisciplinary Approach to Research Education and TrainingPrincipal Investigator:Reza Shaker, MD, Clinical and Translational Science InstituteCo-Investigator(s):Doriel Ward, PhD, MPH, Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Leonard Egede, MD, MS, MedicineAward Amount:$2,465,245

Award Date

February2021

Project Duration:64 months

Project Summary:

The COVID-19 pandemic health crisis has brought to light the need to train diverse researchers focused on advancing health. This includes a wide range of research, from basic biomedical research to translation of research to improve the health of communities. Collaborative research involving the community, research enterprise, and health systems enable discoveries to be most relevant to the health of individuals and communities and allow translation to better preventative measures, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

Through this award, the project will build on existing training programs to create a team-based, trans-disciplinary training model where trainees receive training, education, research experience, and mentorship towards expertise in conducting research involving community, research infrastructure and health system perspectives. This new approach allows those outside of academia to play an active role in research, education, and training.

Project Updates:

Funded three mentored scholar projects focused on the epidemiology of injury burden, predictive modeling for quality of life outcomes resulting from traumatic injury in older trauma patients, and novel treatment combination to improve outcomes in myeloma patients after transplant
Adapted existing ensembles to include new education and training opportunities for KL2 scholars, including a required diversity course
Continue to engage ensemble members to guide next steps and adjustments in the mentored scholar projects
Formed a program advisory committee to oversee and provide recommendations for all aspects of the KL2 program’s recruitment, training, and mentoring strategies