Skip to main content
Explore URMC

menu

Funding

Clinical & Translational Science Institute / Funding / Career Development K Award
 

Career Development K Award

The UR CTSI Career Development Award (KL2) provides two years of support for the early career development of multidisciplinary clinical and translational scientists. The program fosters transition of KL2 scholars to an independent career as a clinical and translational investigator, generally by means of an individual K- or R-award.

The Program

Career Development Award scholars will be expected to develop and implement a research experience supervised by a primary mentor and mentor team. The research project should be designed as a pilot project to set the stage for an individual K-award application, or in exceptional circumstances, establish a foundation for a subsequent individual R-award application. The program has three training pathways that capitalize on institutional strengths. Prospective scholars may choose, but are not required, to take advantage of one of the three, and are also free to propose their own training pathway.

Programmatic Elements

  • Core curriculum
  • Mentored research project
  • Team science training
  • Mentor/protégé support and training

Individualized Elements

  • Training pathways
    • Enabling technologies
    • Regulatory science
    • The electronic health record as a resource for research.
  • Degree and certificate programs
  • Elective coursework
  • Extra-curricular activities
  • Hands-on team science experiences

Requirements

Career Development Award scholars must:

  • Define and participate in a clinical or translational research project.
  • Identify a multidisciplinary mentor team with extensive clinical or translational research experience where one of the members is willing to serve as the primary mentor.
  • Commit to a two-year program.
  • Devote at least 75 percent of their full-time professional effort to the program (note: scholars in certain clinical specialties may commit less than 75 percent effort—but no less than 50 percent effort—if sufficiently justified by the need to maintain critical clinical skills).

Eligibility

Applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

  • Must possess a doctoral-level degree in a health discipline that can be applied to clinical or translational research. These degrees include, but are not limited to M.D., D.O., D.M.D., D.D.S., D.P.H., Pharm.D., as well as Ph.D. in clinically relevant fields, such as biostatistics, epidemiology, behavioral science, or nursing.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.
  • Must be a fellow or junior faculty member committed to an academic career in clinical and translational research. Preference will be given to applicants early in their training/career.
  • May not simultaneously submit or have pending an application for any other Public Health Sciences mentored career development award (e.g., K07, K08, K22 or K23) that duplicates any of the provisions of the KL2 program.
  • May not have received substantial prior research support as principal investigator of R01, R21, Center or Mentored Career Development (K) grants, or as project leader on sub-projects of program projects (P01) or center grants (P50), or equivalent non-PHS peer reviewed research grant over $100,000 per year in direct costs. Scholars may have had support on a NRSA grant (F or T) or NIH small research grant (R03).

Application and Selection Process

  • The UR CTSI will release a Request for Applications once each program year.
  • Applicants electronically submit a seven-page application and other supporting information.
  • After initial review by a selection committee, applicants may be asked to respond in writing to questions regarding their application.
  • The selection committee will then recommend awardees to the KL2 Steering Committee.
  • Applications will be ranked on the basis of the candidate’s training environment, career development plans and project proposal.

Application Timeline

Dates for the next round of awards will be released soon.

If you have additional questions about the program, please contact the UR CTSI Research Education Team.

Current Scholars/Projects

Jeffrey Yaeger, M.D.
Improved prediction of bacterial infections in febrile infants

Richard Dunne, M.D.
Research in the field of cancer cachexia, an understudied syndrome of weight loss and muscle wasting that has no effective treatment

Kevin Mazurek, Ph.D.
Determining How Cortical Areas Communicate Information to Perform Voluntary Movements

Caroline Silva, Ph.D.
Cultural Social Engagement and Suicide Ideation Among Hispanic Outpatients

Jin Xiao, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.
C. albicans and S. mutans Oral Colonization in Infants with High Risk for Severe Early Childhood Caries

Fahad Saeed, MBBS
The Impact of Palliative Care on Decision-Making, Disease Management Outcomes and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Kidney Diseases and Their Family Caregivers

Lauren Solan, M.D., M.Ed.
Development of a Novel Pediatric Risk Assessment Tool to Predict Pediatric Health Care Reutilization (i.e., hospital readmission and Emergency Department revisit)

Autumn Gallegos, Ph.D.
Effects of Mindfulness on PTSD: A Community-Based Clinical Trial Among Trauma Survivors

Caroline Quill, M.D.
Improving ICU Patient Outcomes Using Graph Isomorphism Analysis

Past Scholars/Projects

Beau Abar, Ph.D.
Project: “Examining Barriers to Treatment for Depression among Older Adults”
Dr. Abar participated in the KL2 program from 2014 to 2016.

David Adler, M.D., M.P.H.
Project: "Post-Vaccination HPV Genotype Distribution Among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Young Women in South Africa"
Dr. Adler was funded by the KL2 program from 2009-2010.

David Auerbach, Ph.D.
Project: “Electrical Disturbances in the Brain and Heart in Long QT Syndrome: A Dangerous Synergy”
Dr. Auerbach participated in the KL2 program from 2015 to 2017.

Robert Block, M.D., M.P.H., FACP
Project: “The Role of Fatty Acids and their Metabolites in the Pathophysiology of Sudden Cardiac Death”
Dr. Block was funded by the KL2 program from 2007-2010.

Michelle Burack, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: “Dissociating effects of Parkinson disease therapies on motor and non-motor elements of action control”
Dr. Burack was funded by the KL2 program from 2010-2012.

Jennifer Carroll, M.D., M.P.H.
Project: "The Effect of a Primary Care Clinician Communication Intervention linked to a Community Based Exercise Program"
Dr. Carroll was funded by the KL2 program in 2008.

Wei Chen, M.D.
Project: “Does Metabolic Acidosis Protect Against Arterial Calcification in Patients with CKD?”
Dr. Chen participated in the KL2 program from 2015 to 2017.

Wendi Cross, Ph.D.
Project: "Building Knowledge and Skills in Prevention Implementers"
Dr. Cross was funded by the KL2 program in 2007.

E. Ray Dorsey, M.D., M.B.A.
Project: “Identify Means to Improve the Productivity of Biomedical Research”
Dr. Dorsey was funded by the KL2 program from 2007-2009.

Roman Eliseev, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: "Validating NF-κB and Runx2 pathways as molecular targets in Osteosarcoma and evaluating the therapeutic potential of an approved proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib/velcade, in Osteosarcoma" 
Dr. Eliseev was funded by the KL2 program from 2010-2012.

Mireya Gonzalez-Begné, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Project: "Identification of salivary and salivary gland-cell-surface biomarkers in patients with early-stage primary Sjögren’s syndrome"
Dr. Gonzalez-Begne was funded by the KL2 program from 2009-2012. 

Barbara Gracious, M.D.
Project:" Bone Mineral Density in Young Bipolar Women Randomized to Valproate vs. Lithium"
Dr. Gracious was funded by the KL2 program from 2007-2010. She is currently the Principal Investigator for the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice at Nationwide Children's.

Susan Groth, Ph.D., R.N.C., N.P.
Project: "Clarification of the Gene Environment Interaction of the GNB3 Gene and Establishing a foundation for Genetic –Based Behavioral Intervention Research"
Dr. Groth was funded by the KL2 program from 2008-2009.

Chad Heatwole, M.D.
Project: “The Development and Use of a Disease-Specific Instrument for Myotonic Dystrophy”
Dr. Heatwole was funded by the KL2 program from 2007-2008.

Holly Hindman, M.D.
Project: "Wound Healing Responses and Myofiloblast Activity Following Endothelial Keratoplasty when modified by using Anti TFG-B Therapies"
Dr. Hindman was funded by the KL2 program from 2008-2009.

Leesha Hoilette, M.D., M.S.
Project: "Community Health Centers as Patient-Centered Medical Homes"
Dr. Hoilette was funded by the KL2 program from 2010-2012.

Margaret Holland, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Project: "Patterns and predictors of adherence to recommended visit schedules in a nurse home visiting program"
Dr. Holland was funded by the KL2 program from 2012-2013. She is currently on the faculty at the Yale School of Nursing.

Suzannah Iadarola, Ph.D.
Project: “Parent-Focused Intervention for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder”
Dr. Iadarola was funded by the KL2 program from 2014 to 2016.

Robert Matthew Kottmann, M.D.
Project: "Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligands and Pulmonary Fibrosis"
Dr. Kottmann was funded by the KL2 program from 2010-2012.

Feng (Vankee) Lin, Ph.D., R.N.
Project: "Role of Vision-based Computerized Cognitive Training in Preventing Cognitive and Functional Decline in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment"
Dr. Lin was funded by the KL2 program from 2013-2015.

Xiuxin Liu, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Project: "ATP signaling and dental orofacial pain"
Dr. Liu was funded by the KL2 program from 2013-2015.

Megan Lytle-Flint, Ph.D.
Project: “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health disparities/suicide prevention”
Dr. Lytle-Flint was a KL2 scholar from 2014 to 2016.

Michael McKee, M.D., M.P.H.
Project: "Health Literacy among Deaf ASL Users and Cardiovascular Health Risk"
Dr. McKee was funded by the KL2 program in 2010. Dr. McKee is on the faculty at the University of Michigan.

Supriya Mohile, M.D., M.S.
Project: “Vulnerable Elders with Cancer: Patterns of Care and Comprehensive Outcomes”
Dr. Mohile was funded by the KL2 program from 2009-2011.

Luke Peppone, Ph.D.
Project: "Evaluating the efficacy of weekly high-dose calcitriol therapy, and an individually-tailored home-based weight-bearing physical activity program in improving bone metabolism among hormone-receptor positive non-metastatic breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant hormonal therapy"
Dr. Peppone was funded by the KL2 program from 2010-2012.

Anthony Pisani, Ph.D.
Project: "Help-seeking among suicidal adolescents: Testing the role of emotion regulation and connectedness with parents"
Dr. Pisani was funded by the KL2 program from 2011-2013.

Julie Ryan, Ph.D.
Project: "Curcumin Intervention and Biological Analysis of Radiation Dermatitis"
Dr. Ryan was funded by the KL2 program from 2008-2009.

Krupa Shah, M.D., M.P.H.
Project: "Preventing Functional Decline in HIV-infected Older Adults with Central Obesity"
Dr. Shah was funded by the KL2 program from 2012-2013.

Marc Swogger, Ph.D.
Project: "The Impact of Psychopathic Traits on a Cocaine Use Intervention for Offenders"
Dr. Swogger was funded by the KL2 program from 2009-2010.

Wakenda Tyler, M.D., M.P.H.
Project: "Role of Angiopoietin-2 in the pathogenesis of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to bone: Implications for therapeutic intervention"
Dr. Tyler was funded by the KL2 program from 2010-2012.

Kimberly Van Orden, Ph.D.
Project: "The role of social connectedness in the etiology and prevention of late-life suicide"
Dr. Van Orden was funded by the KL2 program from 2012-2013.

Melanie Wellington, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: "Phagocyte Receptors in the Host Response to Candida"
Dr. Wellington was funded by the KL2 program from 2007-2011.