CTSA K12 Program at Pennsylvania State University

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY The mission of the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s (CTSI) Early Career Faculty Development (K12) program is to advance the next generation of translational scientists through individualized mentorship and career development programming, rigorous translational science training, and robust community engagement with a focus on rural populations. Our mission underscores our CTSI’s strengths in community-engaged research, team science, and translational excellence—while emphasizing our commitment to driving innovation that improves health outcomes in rural Pennsylvania. The K12 program will support 3 cohorts of early-career faculty scholars (3 scholars/cohort) to embark on a 2-3 year intensive, customized career development and research training program grounded on 3 pillars: Careers, Science, and Community. Goals and objectives align with these pillars as follows: Goal 1 (Careers). Train the next generation of clinical translational scientists via Objectives 1-3: 1) Provide strong, individualized mentorship to accelerate career development; 2) Develop future leaders and mentors through structured coaching and training; 3) Support resilience by equipping scholars with resources and strategies to navigate academic challenges. Key activities supporting these objectives include participation in structured mentoring, implementation of individualized development plans, and participation in a coaching program focused on leadership and communication skills. Goal 2 (Science). Advance rigorous, high-impact translational science and research via Objectives 4–6: 4) Deliver a comprehensive translational science curriculum to build essential research skills; 5) Strengthen collaboration through interdisciplinary team science training; 6) Enhance grant-writing proficiency to secure independent research funding; 7) Engage rural health community mentors to integrate new perspectives into research; and 8) Improve scholars’ competence in effective science communication to maximize public impact. Key activities supporting these objectives include building a rural health-focused research program, participation in a translational science curricular series, team science skills training, and engagement in a grant-writing workshop series. Goal 3 (Community). Build scholars’ capacity to engage communities and communicate the relevance of translational science via Objectives 7-9: 7) Engage rural health community mentors to integrate new perspectives into research; 8) Train scholars in effective communication to maximize public impact and dissemination; and 9) Promote dissemination of translational science that emphasizes societal benefit, policy implications, and community impact. Key activities supporting these objectives include participation in community-engaged partnerships and collaborations. By accomplishing these goals and objectives, the K12 program seeks to optimize scholar outcomes to train independent researchers who create impactful research programs related to rural health, master core translational science competencies, and contribute to important patient-centered health outcomes.