Update from the Research Education and Training Group
Co-directors Diane Thiboutot, M.D., and Jim Pawelczyk, Ph.D., are busy laying the foundations for the Penn State CTSI’s clinical and translational research education and training programs. Many multidisciplinary, cross-campus groups comprised of faculty, students and staff with similar interests are working together to address particular health problems; a major goal for the Penn State CTSI is to encourage the growth of these groups, termed Translational Research Clusters, or TRCs.
The clusters, which are in development, will provide an ideal environment for education and training in clinical and translational research. The CTSI will sponsor two programs whose mission is to broaden the base of clinical and translational research trainees: the KL2 program, and the TL1 program.
The KL2 program is designed for junior faculty with an MD degree or a PhD degree. It will support up to 75 percent research time in addition to some funding for research-related costs and tuition support for coursework. Thiboutot and Gordon Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., are directing the KL2 program. Junior faculty with a doctorate (MD, PhD, MD/PhD or equivalent) at the rank of Instructor or Assistant Professor at The Pennsylvania State University are eligible to apply to the program. Junior faculty physician candidates should have completed training in a specialty or subspecialty and be board eligible or certified. Non-physician candidates must have a PhD. Applicants should have a strong interest in pursuing an academic career in clinical and/or translational research.
Applications for the KL2 program are now available here.
The TL1 program is designed to train medical students and graduate students. It will support tuition and stipend during the period that the student is enrolled in the program. In the TL1 program, medical students may take a year out to pursue training consisting of coursework and research and may obtain either a Certificate in Clinical and Translational Research or a master’s degree. Dual title degree programs are being developed for graduate students to obtain additional training in clinical and translational research. Pawelczyk and Charles Lang, Ph.D., are directing the TL1 program.
Individual courses also are available for students, faculty, and support personnel from within the University including nurses, research nurses, study coordinators, and other students from the community including healthcare and public health professionals. Tom Lloyd, Ph.D., and Doug Leslie, Ph.D., are coordinating the course offerings available to those interested in expanding their knowledge in areas relevant to clinical and translational research and will direct the Portal for Education in Translational Research and Innovation (PETRI).
A Research Education and Training Group website is under development, and we anticipate that applications for the KL2 program will be available soon. Please visit the CTSI in the meantime for more information on education and training: www.ctsi.psu.edu.
