CTSA Predoctoral T32 at University of Massachusetts

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The University of Massachusetts Center for Clinical and Translational Science (UMCCTS) mission is to advance learning and discovery to solve health challenges. The proposed 2-year T32 pre-doctoral training program addresses the NCATS of a prepared translational research workforce by 1) leveraging UMCCTS team mentoring, research resources, and educational offerings; 2) integrating T32 trainees into the UMCCTS resources; and 3) expanding the program to rigorous doctoral programs in nursing, MD/PhD, population health sciences, epidemiology, gerontology, and engineering offered across the UMass 5-campuses. Previously, the UMCCTS TL1 transformed doctoral training in translational research at UMass Chan from a fragmented, siloed training model to a collaborative training environment. The 30 TL1 trainees (60% women, 30% from underrepresented populations) published 392 papers and secured $29M in grants. The UMCCTS T32 two-year program provides training to help predoctoral trainees develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed of clinical and translational scientists (i.e., boundary crosser, team scientist, excellent communicator, systems thinker, process innovator). The T32 mission is to develop, implement, and sustain innovative and effective approaches to clinical and translational science doctoral training that align with the overarching goals of the CTSA research training program. The T32 will recruit 3 cohorts of 6 PhD students with guaranteed funding in rigorous programs providing strong discipline knowledge and rigorous methods honed by conducting research at their home institutions. The T32 complements this training by helping trainees also develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities as clinical and translational scientists. The objectives of the T32 include: 1) Recruit and retain outstanding pre-doctoral trainees diverse with respect to scientific discipline, socioeconomic background, differences in abilities, and research interests; 2) Support and foster excellence in mentorship among faculty using evidence-informed practices; 3) Integrate trainees into the clinical and translational research community; 4) Provide enhanced training to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for clinical and translational scientists; 5) Provide robust administrative support for the T32; and 6) Evaluate trainee progress and improve the program based on trainee, mentor, and leadership feedback. The UMCCTS T32 Program will achieve its mission through team mentoring, mentored research projects, research navigator to integrate trainees into UMCCTS research resources, shared educational offerings (e.g., CTSA workshops, CTSA seminars, CTSA Visiting Scholars Program, UMCCTS retreats, UMCCTS Community Engagement Symposium) and structured Research Pathways (e.g., Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, Community Engagement, Comparative Safety and Effectiveness with Real World Data, Generalist). The expected outcomes of T32 participants include increased publications with multidisciplinary teams, grant submissions (i.e., F30, F31, R36), increased collaborations across the UMass campuses, and sustained, productive research careers.