Communications NIH Career Development Awards in Clinical and Translational Science Award Institutions: Distinguishing Characteristics of Top Performing Sites Lourdes R. Guerrero, Ed.D., M.S.W.1,2, Terry Nakazono, M.A.2,3, and Pamela L. Davidson, Ph.D.2,3 ABSTRACT Purpose: To identify and disseminate the organizational characteristics of “top performing” National Institute of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) institutions in regards to career development, using the number of new K awards received per year to rank institutions and comparing these with non-CTSA institutions. Methods: The authors analyzed the organizational characteristics of all 61 CTSA institutions from 2006 to 2013 using the American Association of Medical Colleges Organizational Characteristics Database and K Award funding details using NIH RePORT. Results: Five of the “top 10 performing” institutions are in the western region, and six out of the ten are public schools. Three of the “top 10 performing” institutions receive most of their K awards through two funding mechanisms—the K08 (mentored clinical scientist research award) and K23 (mentored patient-oriented research career development awards). Notably, these three institutions lack a KL2 program. Conclusion: The CTSA network of institutions is committed to developing the next generation of physician scientists in order to meet the pressing health needs of society. Educators and evaluators within this network may need to provide training to junior investigators beyond the traditional KL2 programs in order to advance their career development as physician scientists and clinical translational researchers. Clin Trans Sci 2014; Volume 7: 470–475
Keywords: translational research, evaluation, CTSA Introduction
In order to bridge the gap between basic, clinical, and population research, there is a need to support the career development of clinical and translational scholars.1–3 The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) are focused on developing the next generation of physician scientists that can meet the pressing health needs of society. Traditionally, receipt of a career development award (K awards) from the NIH has been critical to the career trajectory of health professions scholars and physician scientists.4
The CTSA was launched in 2006 to enable institutions to restructure and create a definable academic home for clinical and translational research, provide investigators and research teams with research cores, to conduct clinical and translational research, and to train the scientific workforce needed for the translational sciences.5 In 2013, there were 61 institutions throughout the United States. The NIH and its related centers provide career development (K) awards to individuals with research degrees and to those with health-professional doctorates. These awards include the following mechanisms:
NIH K Funding Mechanisms
Description
K01
Mentored research scientist development award for scientists in need of both research training and experience
K02
Independent scientist awards
K05
Established investigator award in cancer prevention and control
K07
Academic career award and cancer prevention, control, behavioral, and populations sciences career development
K08
Mentored clinical scientist research award
K12
Mentored clinical scientist development award for institutions
K18
Career enhancement awards for established investigators
K22
Career transition awards to support individual postdoctoral fellows transition into faculty positions
K23
Mentored patient-oriented research career development awards
K24
Midcareer investigator award in patient oriented research
K25
Mentored quantitative research development award
K30
Clinical research curriculum development
K99
Career/research transition award program that provides 1–2 years of mentored support
KL2
Institutional support for mentored research career development awards to clinical investigators who are commencing basic, translational and/or clinical research
General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA; 2UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Evaluation Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; 3UCLA School of Nursing, Patient Safety Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA. 1
Correspondence: Lourdes Guerrero ([email protected]) DOI: 10.1111/cts.12187
470
VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 6
WWW.CTSJOURNAL.COM
Guerrero et al. NIH Career Development Awards in CTSA Institutions n
We examined trend data of all institutions and the 61 CTSA institutions from 2006 to 2013 to assess the number of new K 300 K01 awards received. We accessed information through: (1) NIH Research Portfolio Online K02 Reporting Tools (RePORT), which provides 250 K07 access to reports, data, and analyses of NIH K08 research activities, including information on 200 K12 NIH expenditures and the results of NIH supported research and (2) the American K22 150 Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) K23 Organizational Characteristics database, K24 which provides information on fully 100 K25 accredited medical schools. We analyzed the characteristics of all K99 50 61 CTSA sites from 2006 through 2013, Other Ks including number of NIH K awards 0 received by year and over time, location of 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 the institutions (region), type of institution (private/public/mixed), and year of initial Figure 1. New K awards at all institutions, 2000–2013. National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) or NCATS funding. Additionally, within the universe of the 61 CTSA Although all the awards could be supportive of clinical and institutions, we analyzed the top funding NIH Institute Centers translational scientists’ careers, the ones most relevant to physician (ICs) and the top K award mechanisms received. scientists include the K08, K12, and K23. In addition, institutions We used SAS (version 9.3, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA) to with CTS awards have access to KL2 funding, which supports conduct all analyses. Frequencies and distributions of the study the institutional development and implementation of a specific variables were examined first. We then conducted cross tabulations career development program in clinical and translational science. of sites by number of new K awards by year and by K award The CTSA literature regarding the career development of type. We used chi square to determine statistical significance clinical and translational scholars has focused on mentoring between variables, and a p value of
Keywords: translational research, evaluation, CTSA Introduction
In order to bridge the gap between basic, clinical, and population research, there is a need to support the career development of clinical and translational scholars.1–3 The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) are focused on developing the next generation of physician scientists that can meet the pressing health needs of society. Traditionally, receipt of a career development award (K awards) from the NIH has been critical to the career trajectory of health professions scholars and physician scientists.4
The CTSA was launched in 2006 to enable institutions to restructure and create a definable academic home for clinical and translational research, provide investigators and research teams with research cores, to conduct clinical and translational research, and to train the scientific workforce needed for the translational sciences.5 In 2013, there were 61 institutions throughout the United States. The NIH and its related centers provide career development (K) awards to individuals with research degrees and to those with health-professional doctorates. These awards include the following mechanisms:
NIH K Funding Mechanisms
Description
K01
Mentored research scientist development award for scientists in need of both research training and experience
K02
Independent scientist awards
K05
Established investigator award in cancer prevention and control
K07
Academic career award and cancer prevention, control, behavioral, and populations sciences career development
K08
Mentored clinical scientist research award
K12
Mentored clinical scientist development award for institutions
K18
Career enhancement awards for established investigators
K22
Career transition awards to support individual postdoctoral fellows transition into faculty positions
K23
Mentored patient-oriented research career development awards
K24
Midcareer investigator award in patient oriented research
K25
Mentored quantitative research development award
K30
Clinical research curriculum development
K99
Career/research transition award program that provides 1–2 years of mentored support
KL2
Institutional support for mentored research career development awards to clinical investigators who are commencing basic, translational and/or clinical research
General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA; 2UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Evaluation Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; 3UCLA School of Nursing, Patient Safety Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA. 1
Correspondence: Lourdes Guerrero ([email protected]) DOI: 10.1111/cts.12187
470
VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 6
WWW.CTSJOURNAL.COM
Guerrero et al. NIH Career Development Awards in CTSA Institutions n
We examined trend data of all institutions and the 61 CTSA institutions from 2006 to 2013 to assess the number of new K 300 K01 awards received. We accessed information through: (1) NIH Research Portfolio Online K02 Reporting Tools (RePORT), which provides 250 K07 access to reports, data, and analyses of NIH K08 research activities, including information on 200 K12 NIH expenditures and the results of NIH supported research and (2) the American K22 150 Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) K23 Organizational Characteristics database, K24 which provides information on fully 100 K25 accredited medical schools. We analyzed the characteristics of all K99 50 61 CTSA sites from 2006 through 2013, Other Ks including number of NIH K awards 0 received by year and over time, location of 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 the institutions (region), type of institution (private/public/mixed), and year of initial Figure 1. New K awards at all institutions, 2000–2013. National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) or NCATS funding. Additionally, within the universe of the 61 CTSA Although all the awards could be supportive of clinical and institutions, we analyzed the top funding NIH Institute Centers translational scientists’ careers, the ones most relevant to physician (ICs) and the top K award mechanisms received. scientists include the K08, K12, and K23. In addition, institutions We used SAS (version 9.3, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA) to with CTS awards have access to KL2 funding, which supports conduct all analyses. Frequencies and distributions of the study the institutional development and implementation of a specific variables were examined first. We then conducted cross tabulations career development program in clinical and translational science. of sites by number of new K awards by year and by K award The CTSA literature regarding the career development of type. We used chi square to determine statistical significance clinical and translational scholars has focused on mentoring between variables, and a p value of
