NRSA Training Core - The Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) has a sustained record of equipping TL1 pre-
doctoral (for 9 years) and postdoctoral trainees (for 4 years) through its Career development, Education and
Research Training (CERT) Program. First, CERT has trained 86 CTSI predoctoral trainees over 9 funding
cycles. Predoctoral program completers continue in research a high level with a median percent research time
of 60%. The majority remain in academic or research positions. Second, CERT has trained 10 postdoctoral
trainees over 3 funding cycles with most program completers retained in academic positions and spending a
median of 90% of their time in research. Third, there has been substantial diversity in our TL1 program in terms
of gender (57.3%), underrepresented minorities (12.5%), and scientific disciplines (27 different disciplines for
predoctoral and 8 different disciplines for postdoctoral trainees). Also, the type of trainee research spans
across the T1 to T4 translational research spectrum. The four specific aims of the TL1 NRSA Training Core
proposed in this application are to: 1) Increase the flexibility and reach of our foundational programs,
particularly through asynchronous and/or online strategies, outreach to new scientific audiences (e.g., dental,
pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, allied health) and attention to trainees earlier in the pipeline. 2)
Maximize the career development components of TL1 training, including essential support (e.g., grant writing
skills, biostatistics, and mentor training), salient knowledge and skills, and targeted training to fill gaps in the
clinical and translational science workforce where the CERT program is especially strong (using big data,
implementation science, community engagement and communication, and drug development). 3) Develop
research training in 3 new areas: team science, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning. 4) Pursue
regional and national CTSA collaborations for greater innovation and impact. The key model that guides our
strategic initiatives is the continuous innovation cycle of “4Ds” that we adopt in all of our CTSI activities:
Design, Demonstrate, Duplicate, and Disseminate. We also created innovative initiatives that could serve as
model programs for dissemination more broadly. These include a) an I-Corps training; b) national
coordination of experiential training opportunities with industry partners; c) hybrid postdoctoral training
between the academia and an industry, community, government, or health care partner. Finally, we have plans
for further enhancing recruitment and retention of underrepresent minority scientists. We are enhancing
instructions in the responsible conduct of research with a new course in translational research ethics, and
evaluations with Common Metrics plus novel metrics.
