Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences

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The goal of the ICTS Mentored Career Development (MCD) program is to provide scholars with a comprehensive and cutting-edge set of research tools and leadership skills designed to help them successfully navigate a career in translational research in these challenging times. Our MCD has been structured and configured based on areas of expertise here at UC Irvine, robust collaborations with CTSA partners across the network, remarkably generous institutional support, and a faculty that has demonstrated its willingness to join us in creating this exceptional program. The program highlights five critical features. 1) Integrated Leadership—We have purposefully combined the NRSA and MCD programs under one leadership umbrella to ensure productive interaction among all of our scholars and trainees, and efficiencies in using training resources. Our NRSA and MCD leaders are also intimately involved in the overall ICTS governance and organization so that virtually all aspects of scholars’ training and research are interwoven into the broader activities of our CTSA Hub. 2) Focused Flexible Accelerated Studies (FFASt)—FFASt is a new series of immersive-learning workshops designed to cover current issues in translational research. Learning opportunities are designed to shorten the formal didactic component of the training process without disrupting research productivity. Topics include: a) Implementing Team Science Best Practices, b) The Crisis of Reproducibility in Biomedical Research, c) Teachable Elements of Innovation in Biomedical Research, and c) What Every Biomedical Researcher Must Know About Community Outreach and Engagement. 3) Experiential Learning Opportunities (Real World Externships)—In collaboration with (and in the spirit of) UC Irvine’s recent successful application for an NIH BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training), scholars will have the opportunity to work in private sector CROs, drug and technology development companies, and in health and law issues in the Superior Courts of Orange County. 4) Outreach and Inclusion Excellence— Working with successful existing programs in our School of Medicine that target underrepresented minorities, scholars will teach and mentor students regarding careers in translational research. These efforts will help prepare promising individuals for successful careers in medicine and simultaneously enlarge our own candidate pool of future translational researchers. 5) Outstanding Mentorship—Learning from best practices across the CTSA Network, scholars will have the advantage of a well-trained mentorship team consisting of both experienced translational researchers and specialists in the scholar’s area of interest. The mentors and scholars undergo frequent evaluation with the goal of identifying and fixing problems in the scholar’s progress at the earliest stages. Finally, mentors and scholars will be rewarded in a number of ways, including: ICTS vouchers for research support; enhanced access and reduced recharge for informatics and statistical consultations; dedicated pilot/feasibility grants; and personal guidance in extramural grant preparation.