UCSF-Kaiser Urological Epidemiology Research Career Development Program

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PROJECT SUMMARY: Overview. The UCSF-Kaiser Permanente Urological Epidemiology Research Career Development Program (UCSF-KPNC UroEpi) will provide practical, interdisciplinary training to junior researchers en route to becoming independent investigators in non-malignant urological epidemiology. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) will collaborate to give junior faculty-level investigators the mentoring, skills, and experience they need for long-term success. Scholars will be housed at UCSF and the KPNC Division of Research (DOR), both with robust scientific infrastructures, where they will be able to access an unparalleled set of data resources, including the entire KPNC patient population, and a wide range of prospective cohorts. The history of collaboration between the two institutions will enable the mentors and Scholars to readily communicate, meet, and share resources and continue a superb track record of developing promising young researchers into independent investigators. Training Program and Candidate Pipeline. The program for UCSF-KPNC UroEpi Scholars is highly structured and includes comprehensive mentoring, a formal didactic program, and hands on research. Each scholar will have a multidisciplinary mentor team as well as access to extensive networks of scientists and clinical and operational leaders. The didactic program includes a certificate, masters or PhD degree program in research methods and/or epidemiology, and mentored seminar series with work-in-progress and research skills sessions. We have identified 13 Research Program Areas in benign urology that leverage the UCSF-KPNC environments’ diversity, direct access to real-life clinicians and patients, and the mentor’s methodological and content area strengths. Within this structure, scholars will develop a portfolio of research projects and skills to guide their transition to independence as investigators. We have an excellent pipeline of diverse scholar candidates and robust collateral resources. Innovation and Impact. This program’s innovative pairing of a top tier academic center with a learning and integrated health care system will be an excellent investment of NIDDK resources that will catalyze growth of urological epidemiology research in a uniquely fertile environment. Embedding junior researchers in these settings is a natural way of maximizing the influence of patients and clinicians on their research choices. This creative configuration will optimize the downstream impact of this program’s work on real-life epidemiology and patient-centered outcomes. We have a long history of collaborative, multidisciplinary research that will complement and augment other large projects supported by NIDDK, such as O’Brien, MAPP, and LURN Centers. Thus, the environment enables the UroEpi Scholars to work closely with accomplished researchers and mentors to facilitate the prioritization of research questions that matter to patients and to enrich interpretation of research findings for practice and patient health.