Developmental Core

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ABSTRACT – JHU TRAC DEVELOPMENTAL CORE (DC) The mission of the Developmental Core (DC) is to support and mentor the next generation of TB researchers and to recruit new TB investigators to increase the diversity and breadth of TB scientists at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Early Stage Investigators (ESI) need to integrate a variety of disciplines into their work, and innovative leaders in other fields need to be brought into the TB research fold to generate transformational gains in basic and clinical research, translation, and implementation. Despite the productivity and accomplishments of the JHU faculty, nurturing and sustaining a pipeline of New Investigators (NI) who can provide leadership and innovation in the future is extremely challenging. Without dedicated resources to support NI and ESI, many trainees move onto other fields. There is a recognized need for seed funding, core resources, and intensive mentoring for new researchers, who also would benefit from broadened skill sets beyond their primary training. The DC will seek to draw from areas of underrepresented science and scientists, including opportunities for future research/training. Fields such as systems biology in TB are lacking; thus, we will seek to bring in computational modelers, bioinformaticians, and immunologists to fill this void. Novel approaches to understanding TB pathogenesis are needed, with implications for molecular diagnostics, therapeutic vaccines, and host-directed therapies. Nursing models to increase prevention, access to treatment, retention and human- centered adherence models, as well as infection control and prevention science are recognized areas needing TB outsiders. Finally, engagement of stakeholders in community-based participatory research methods is increasingly needed in TB control globally. The overall goals of the JHU TRAC DC are to support the highest priority innovative, cross-disciplinary TB research, to support and mentor ESI in team science, and to recruit and support NI to TB. Developmental Awards provided by the DC will provide both ESI and established investigators not currently involved in TB research with the opportunity to stimulate innovative ideas and to receive support for fruitful new areas of interdisciplinary, collaborative research. A special focus of the DC will be the recruitment and career development of Investigators among groups nationally underrepresented in health-related research (UHRR). In addition to the Developmental Awards, the Developmental Core will augment individual mentorship with Internal Scientific Reviews of grant proposals, including specific aims reviews; TRAC-specific Writing Accountability Groups (WAGs), a TRAC K- Club to support development of K01, K08, K23, or K99 applications, and a TRAC K2R Club for investigators transitioning from K awards to R01 grants. The Developmental Core will work with the Administrative Core to facilitate exchange of ideas and methodologies through a weekly TRAC Seminar Series, research-in-progress meetings, workshops, and the annual JHU TB Scientific Meeting and TRAC Data Fair.