Professional Development Core

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Only 18 Pacific Islander investigators applied for R01 grants in 2013 and the same number (18) in 2018. Indigenous Pacific People (IPP), defined as Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos, continue to experience health disparities, but few investigators focus on these populations. The goal of the Professional Development (PD) Core of the Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge, and Opportunities (PIKO) is to strengthen and diversify the Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) workforce to reduce IPP health disparities and to increase dissemination and uptake of research discoveries in IPP communities. The PD Core will work with other Cores to build upon previous and current research infrastructure programs to create an environment that fosters CTR career advancement among junior investigators (JI) and established investigators (EI) seeking to make a significant and distinct transition in their research program over to a CTR program, particularly those from IPP and other underrepresented backgrounds. These investigators will be supported to compete for funding from the Pilot Project Program Core and federal funding sources. The PD Core activities will honor IPP values favoring group learning, mutual support, and non-threatening environments for feedback to include: 1) IPP- tailored versions of studios; 2) requirements that PIKO-supported investigators work with community mentors and report research findings to the community; 3) cohorts for grant/manuscript writing and mutual support; and 4) intensive, long-term mentoring in funding, data analysis, manuscript and proposal writing, research dissemination, and research leadership. The Specific Aims are: Specific Aim 1: Identify and nurture investigators for CTR careers by matching investigators and mentors engaged in health disparities CTR; by developing and monitoring IDP and mentor agreements; and by recruiting and retaining promising CTR investigators. Specific Aim 2: Personalize mentoring and professional development activities for CTR by designing, publicizing, and implementing a culturally appropriate CTR curriculum that includes education in IPP cultures, histories, and health-related priorities; by providing personalized and group mentoring in grant writing; and by providing personalized and group mentoring on manuscript writing. Specific Aim 3: Foster professional development collaborations across and beyond PIKO institutions by coordinating professional development activities with other infrastructure and training programs; by facilitating opportunities for CTR investigators to learn from and present findings to the community to build community trust in research; and by heightening engagement with PD Cores of other IDeA-CTR programs. Over these five years, the PD Core will increase the number of extramurally funded JI/EI, especially IPP investigators, and improve the quality and quantity of IPP-focused research to improve IPP health.