Child Health Research Career Development Award (CHRCDA) Program at Children's National

About This Grant

Abstract The Child Health Research Career Development Award (CDRCDA) Program was first established at Children’s National Hospital in 2000, and over the past 24 years, we have successfully trained 30 Scholars. The purpose of the program is to facilitate the development of successful basic, translational, and clinical research careers for junior faculty members in pediatrics across the T0-T4 spectrum. The rationale for the program is that while many opportunities exist to use molecular biology, biomedical engineering, and translational science to advance treatment of pediatric diseases, the comprehensive scientific knowledge and practical experience that are required to capitalize on these opportunities are often deficient among young pediatrician-investigators who have recently finished clinical training. The CHRCDA addresses this need by providing protected time for nascent scientists during their initial academic appointment. In our program, scholars: 1) take coursework in basic, translational, or clinical science areas relevant to their research; 2) learn state-of-the art laboratory and computational methodologies; 3) develop preliminary data under the supervision of established mentors that will lead to submission of independent NIH grant applications; and 4) learn to effectively advance accomplishments in basic, translational, and clinical research into improvements in child health. To accomplish these goals, the CHRCDA scholars spend at least 75% effort honing these skills under the mentorship of established mentors over a 3-4 year period. During this period, each of the above tasks will be addressed in a systematic fashion, including participation in a core curriculum in research methodology and biostatistics, training in responsible conduct of research, and performance of increasingly independent research under senior investigators. We fund 2-3 Scholars annually and match these scholars with senior mentors within four scientific affinity groups: neuroscience, molecular genetics, cancer and immunology, and biomedical engineering. The administrative structure includes a Principal Investigator/Program Director, a Training Director, an Executive Committee, and an external Advisory Committee. The outcomes of this program are measured by the products of the scholars’ subsequent academic careers: publications and independent external grant support. Recent innovations to our program include: expansion of funded research to include T2-T4 science with recruitment of a cadre of appropriate mentors, new pipeline programs to increase our pool of candidates including two R38 awards to fund research among pediatric residents and significant capital investments including the new Children’s National Research and Innovation campus. This administrative supplement is necessary to sustain the CDRCDA program during an unanticipated funding gap, ensuring uninterrupted support for scholars and continued program operations until a future funding opportunity is released.