USC Neurosurgery Research and Education Training Program

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PROJECT SUMMARY Receipt of individual NIH career development awards has been instrumental to the professional trajectories of physician-scientists. However, submitting competitive applications for these awards is difficult without formal mentorship, defined expectations, protected time, and coordinated curricula. The USC R25 Neurosurgery Research Education Program provides the resources, mentorship, and support required to address many of these challenges. The R25 program has advanced a culture of academic research and development of clinician-scientists that has directly benefited the residents and junior faculty members within the USC Department of Neurosurgery. The proposed renewal application seeks to build upon the early successes from the initial funding cycle. This competitive renewal application leverages a similar structure to the first five years of the program but incorporates changes/ improvements based on learning and feedback. Mentors are clinicians and scientists with federal funding and prior track records notable for successful mentorship. Thirty- five faculty members from seventeen different academic departments across the university are included as mentors and advisors. A multi-tiered mentorship system affords each R25 trainee a research supervisor for his/her direct investigative study, guidance from a Neurosurgery Research Mentorship Committee and career development support from a team of clinician-scientists within the candidate’s chosen neurosurgery/ neuroscience subspecialty. A Transition to Academic Faculty Committee provides sustained guidance and oversight to R25 graduates during their final years of residency training and initial junior faculty appointments. The USC Neurosurgery residency program has been restructured to incorporate a dedicated R25 research track that differs from the traditional clinical pathway. An innovative Senior/ Junior mentorship program will allow R25 trainees to receive formal guidance from early career investigators in addition to experienced scientists/ mentors. Dedicated discussions and instruction focusing on ethical and successful scientific practice have been incorporated into the program. The over-arching aim of the proposal is to develop neurosurgeon- scientists capable of securing NIH K-, and ultimately R-, series funding to support independent research.