Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award

The Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award is designed to provide support to physician scientists (MD or MD/PhD) during their transition from training to an independent research career. The goal of the program is to encourage physicians to pursue careers in clinical research. The Duke Foundation’s understanding of clinical research is described below under “Research Interests.” This is a limited submission opportunity; the dean of the medical school can nominate only two (2) candidates. The internal deadline for applications is August 1, 2012.

Amount

$150,000 direct and $12,000 indirect per year for three years; total of $486,000.

Number of Awards

Approximately 12 per year.

Research Interests

Applicants may propose a clinical research project, as defined by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, in any disease area.

Clinical research involves the scientific investigation of the etiology, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of human disease using human subjects, human populations, or materials of human origin. Included in the definition are studies that utilize tissues or pathogens, only if they can be linked to a patient. Research projects involving animals or animal tissues are not eligible.

It is expected that research protocols of applicants will require IRB approval. IRB approval need not be in place at the time of application, but must be in place before the award will be finalized. If your project does not require IRB approval, please contact Foundation Relations (Dr. Paul Spengler) who will contact the Doris Duke Foundation regarding the eligibility of the project.

  • Basic Discovery Research: Investigations to increase basic knowledge and understanding, not aimed at uncovering the cause of human disease.
  • Etiology/Mechanism of Disease: Studies of the origins and causes of disease.
  • Prevention: Studies of nutrition, behavioral change, chemoprevention, vaccines.
  • Detection/Diagnosis/Prognosis: Biomarker discovery, technology development, predictive models
  • Treatment: Discovery and development of new therapies; phase 1-3 clinical trials of therapeutics or interventions.
  • Outcomes Research: Health service research, effectiveness research, Phase 4 trials, educational research, cost analysis, bioethics.
  • Scientific Model Systems: Resource development only; development of cell culture models, computer models, etc.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Be a physician scientist conducting clinical research in any disease area;
  • Have received an MD or foreign equivalent from an accredited institution;
  • Be working in a U.S. degree-granting institution, but do not have to be a U.S. citizen;
  • Have a full-time faculty level position not higher than the Assistant Professor level; and
  • Have been appointed to their first full-time faculty level position between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2013. (All full-time post-fellowship Instructor level positions will be considered full-time faculty level appointments. Adjuncts/acting faculty are not eligible.).

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation strongly encourages the nomination of women and underrepresented minorities (i.e., African Americans, Hispanics, native Alaskans and Hawaiians).

Protected Time Requirement

The institution must agree to provide the grantee with a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort to conduct research.

Mentoring Requirement

Mentoring is a requirement.

Limitation on Other Awards

An award will not be made if, prior to the commencement of the Duke CSDA, the applicant has been or becomes the PI or co-PI on an NIH, peer reviewed R01, P01, P50 or U01 grant.

Applicants may hold an NIH K series award or other career development award at the same time as the Duke CSDA grant. However, the applicant must propose distinct and different research aims in their CSDA application and there should be no scientific overlap.

Internal/External Application Process

This is a limited submission opportunity; the dean of the medical school can nominate only two (2) candidates. Faculty who wish to apply must e-mail their expressions of interest to Catherine Muzytchuk (Catherine_Muzytchuk@URMC.rochester.edu) by August 1, 2012. Please use the words “Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award” in the subject line. Be sure to attach the following documents:

The foundation’s deadline for nominations is November 16, 2012; the deadline for applications is December 21, 2012 (pending final confirmation by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation). The dean’s office will notify nominated faculty members prior to November 16th and will notify the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation by that date.

Once the candidates have been notified of their nomination by the dean’s office, they should contact Dr. Paul A. Spengler, Director of UR Foundation Relations, at 276-3955 or pspengler@admin.rochester.edu to review the program guidelines and for assistance with the application. Faculty with questions about deadlines/eligibility criteria should contact Dr. Spengler. To read the full announcement, click here.

 

NIH Funding Acknowledgement ** Important ** All publications resulting from the utilization of CTSI resources are required to credit the CTSI grant by including the NIH FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and must comply with the NIH Public Access Policy.