CTSA K12 Program at the University of Pennsylvania - CTSA K12 Program at Penn: Project Summary/Abstract The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) CTSA Mentored Research Career Development Program aims to identify, recruit, train, and retain early career scientists across varied educational backgrounds, scientific disciplines, and professional experiences, guiding them toward independence and scientific leadership in clinical and translational science (CTS). This program builds on our CTSA Hub’s (Penn and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)) successful 20-year history of training clinical and translational scientists who are adept at addressing the Nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical and translational research (CTR) needs. Our program's ongoing success and evolution are due to our integrated campus with multidisciplinary expertise among our faculty, a refined interdisciplinary training model, and a vibrant research ecosystem that reflects Penn and the CHOP’s institutional commitment to translational science and education. Our proposal addresses three objectives: (i) equip scholars with a CTS skillset to develop their research programs and enhance their scientific expertise; (ii) enhance scholars' professional development and leadership skills; and (iii) launch scholars on a trajectory toward scientific independence. Our approach integrates structured mentorship, scientific training, sponsorship, and professional development, all guided by an individual development plan, and situated within a vibrant scientific community to create a powerful training environment that will transform promising junior investigators into the next generation of leaders in CTS and CTR who are capable of accelerating the translation of discoveries into patient care. The program will support 9 scholar slots with 2–3- year appointments for early career scientists from varied backgrounds, including physicians, dentists, veterinarians, and doctoral-level biomedical scientists, bioengineers, psychologists, nurses, and others. Each scholar benefits from a comprehensive mentoring team comprising two research mentors and a program sponsor utilizing evidence-based mentoring frameworks. Our career development program features structured research experiences designed to transition scholars from K12 support to individual career development awards or independent funding, enhanced by the innovative ITMAT-ASCEND professional development curriculum and the Launch Toward Independence Program featuring executive coaching and structured career transition planning. Required training elements include responsible conduct of research and grant writing, with flexible personalized options such as master's degrees, certificates, bootcamps, symposia, and scientific meetings. Upon completion of the K12 program, scholars will have achieved objective measures of success: published in peer-reviewed literature, secured individual mentored career development awards or independent grant funding, and obtained academic or industry appointments with substantial engagement in CTS research.
