Upon matriculation into the program each trainee will design a two year training plan with their mentor and mentoring committee. It is expected that any trainee accepting research support from the TL1 mechanism will make a two year commitment to research training. NIH policy, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement 11.4.3.1.1, states that accepting one year of TL1 support will obligate trainees to complete a second year of academic work, either through support by the TL1 or an alternative mechanism that satisfies NIH requirements including research, teaching or “health-related” activities.
A critical aspect of the training program will be to establish the “right” balance between structured, interactive and interdisciplinary activities. While we aim to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary team science, we will monitor trainees to ensure that these activities are not at the expense of their individual projects and achievement of benchmarks for scientific or academic success.
We have designed core activities to add needed value, but consolidated these experiences to preserve research time as the core mission of the TL1 training plan. The training plan will consist of five specific components:
Mentored Research Project: The research project is the cornerstone of the KUH-TL1 training program and will be collaboratively developed between the trainee and their research mentor. It is expected that one on one meetings between a trainee and mentor at least weekly. Additionally each trainee supported by the TL1 Core must form a mentoring committee. For PhD students this can be their dissertation committee. One of the Co-Leaders of the TL1 Core and a member from the Professional Development Committee will serve on each trainees mentoring committee. Trainees will be expected to meet with their mentoring committee twice annually.
Core Curriculum Activities: To provide structure and ensure that all trainees receive detailed instruction in the pathophysiology of their KUH research focus area, as well as a strong background in the foundational skills that are universally applicable to all scientific careers, including scientific writing, biostatistics, responsible conduct of research, leadership and laboratory management all trainees will take a tailored Core Curriculum.
Trainees may be approved by the Admissions committee to waive some of the Core Curricular Activities, if they have already been completed.
First-Year Core Curricular Activities: The core skills that are addressed through these training activities include scientific writing, biostatistics, leadership and lab management. These activities are administered through a combination of formal didactics small workshops, online learning and individual instruction.
Pathophysiology. TL1-supported trainees are expected to have a clinical and/or translational focus. As such they will be expected to attend activities already in place for the Nephrology, Urology and Hematology clinical residency and fellowship programs accredited by the ACGME.
KUH-TL1 Seminar series: All KUH-TL1 trainees will participate in a biweekly seminar series that repeats on a two-year cycle with presentations on a broad variety of topics developed by the Professional Development Core.
Conferences specific to focus area: To provide an immersive experience in the academic and research environment related to the KUH focus area, each trainee will participate in specific conferences and seminars.
Responsible Conduct of Research: All trainees are required to complete formal training in the responsible conduct of research. This training will occur during their first year of TL1 support unless it has already been completed.
Elective Curricular Activities: By definition these activities will span a variety of opportunities and will provide flexibility to the training plan by allowing trainees to individualize their experiences to fit their research goals. Trainees will have access to classwork and training opportunities that exist across Cleveland, which will potentially create opportunities for interdisciplinary team science among trainees and faculty trainers. Tuition support will be provided for two elective courses through the TL1 budget, which can also be used for online training opportunities.
Networking and associated skills are necessary to build esprit de corps among the local KUH trainee community, with a tripartite goals of increasing enthusiasm among trainees for the KUH research mission, lowering barriers to interdisciplinary team science, building a sense of community among current and former trainees, both locally and nationally, detailed in the Networking Core.
Progress through the program will be monitored through the use of milestones, which are prospectively defined upon matriculation into the program. The most important milestone is a requirement for trainees to write a grant application each year that they receive KUH-TL1 support. These proposals should be appropriate for the next stage of training (e.g. F- or K-series NIH grants), and will be critiqued by the mentoring committee. Trainees will be encouraged to submit grant proposals to appropriate funding agencies in the second (or subsequent) year of training.
- Mentoring committees for each trainee: each trainee must have a mentoring committee that includes the primary research mentor, the Professional Development Mentor, and two additional mentoring committee members. The proposed mentoring committee should be named in the application for support (see “Trainee Selection and Admission Process”). The primary mentor is expected to meet weekly with the trainee. The role of the “Professional Development Mentor’ will be to meet with trainees quarterly to assess progress toward career development and professional goals. The role of the two additional committee members will be to provide an objective assessment of the trainee’s research and professional development progress at the bi-annual committee meetings. A TL1 Leader will also be assigned to the mentoring committee.
- Individual Development Plan (IDP): each trainee must develop a IDP based on their: 1) self-efficacy beliefs, which refer to an individual’s personal beliefs about his or her capabilities to perform particular behaviors or courses of action; 2) expectations, which refer to beliefs about the consequences or outcomes of performing particular behaviors; and 3) personal goals.
- Trainee Evaluation: the goals and expectations of the trainees will be determined at the beginning of the year through the development, implementation and revision of an Individual Development Plan (IDP).