2023 LA CaTS ROADMAP SCHOLAR APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Application packets must be received by 5:00pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.
SUPPORT |
SELECTION PROCESS |
APPLICATION |
FILE FORMAT |
IMPORTANT DATES |
RELATED FILES |
ANNOUNCEMENT
The LA CaTS Roadmap Scholars program provides the opportunity for junior faculty,
together with their mentors, to design an individual research Roadmap that includes
completion of a Master’s of Science - Clinical Research degree covering courses in
clinical research methodology, molecular medicine, ethics, protocol design, grant
writing as well as mentored research; and execution of a concentrated training plan
and research project. When complete, we anticipate that Roadmap scholars will have
competed successfully for an NIH Career Transition (K) award or its equivalent, permitting
continued protected mentored career development.
ELIGIBILITY
Three Roadmap Scholars will be chosen each year. Applicants should hold an MD, DO,
PhD, DDS, or PharmD. Please refer to any NIH K award guidelines for eligibility criteria.
Applicants may be current members of the faculty or candidates for appointment to
the faculty (prior to July 1, 2023) at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSU
Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, or Tulane University.
The program supports 75% of the Scholar's salary and fringe up to an annual maximum designated amount (direct cost only for salary and fringe benefits). The program also funds travel to present at the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) meeting (maximum of $2,500/year) and at another scientific research conference of the Scholar’s specialty, up to a maximum of $1,500/year. In addition, the Scholar’s mentor will receive a one-time allocation of $10,000 (direct cost only) to support the Roadmap Scholar’s research and career development. The program also covers costs of tuition for courses in the Master’s of Science - Clinical Research curriculum.
Support is provided for 2 years, by the end of which we anticipate that the scholar will have competed successfully for an NIH Career Transition (K) award or its equivalent, providing continued protected mentored career development for a total of at least 5 years and providing protected time for advancement to an R01 or equivalent award.
The selection process will be competitive and composed of two rounds. First, our Professional Development Internal Advisory Board (IAB) will evaluate and prioritize the candidates. The IAB is composed of COBRE Directors, Center Directors, and Department Chairs. Those candidates who are selected to continue to the second round will be invited to interview with the Directors of the Professional Development Core. Scholar awardees will be notified by approximately April 28, 2023.
Each application must include the following:
- Cover page with title of research project, and name, title and institution of nominee.
- NIH Biosketch with personal statement of the applicant
- NIH Biosketch(s) of ALL proposed mentors
- Abstract of intended translational research (30 line limit)
- Proposed performance site(s) for the research project
- Name(s) and role(s) of the mentor(s) that will guide the nominees’ research training
- Research proposal follows the format of any K NIH Application: Specific Aims, Significance, Innovation and Research Approach (Note, our limit is 3 pages, excluding references)
- Career Development Plan: Present a systematic plan that: (a) shows a logical progression from the candidate’s prior research and training experiences to the training and research experiences proposed for the mentored phase of the award and subsequently to independent investigator status and (b) justifies the need for further mentored career development to become an independent research investigator (1 page limit)
- Support letters: In addition to letters from the applicant’s Mentor(s), we require letters from the applicant’s Dean, Department Chair, and Section Chief pledging support for the career development and protection of 75% time for the 2 years of this award and for up to an additional 3 years if the Scholar is awarded support for further training.
- Mentorship Agreement: Completed and signed by applicant and each mentor.
- Roadmap Scholar Applicant Demographics: Click on link to complete online form.
FILE FORMAT
All documents should be compiled (in above order) into a single PDF file.
The format of the application should conform to NIH SF424 guidelines, as closely as
possible.
File Name
Save the file and use file name “nominee last name_ nominee first name_ nominee institution_ roadmap” (ex: Doe_John_MyUniversity_Roadmap). Be sure to only use standard characters in file names: A through Z, a through z, 0 through 9, and underscore (_). Do not use any special characters (example: “&”, “-“, “*”, “%”, “/”, and “#”) or spacing in the file name, and for word separation use underscore (example: “My_Attached_File.pdf”) in naming the attachments.
Font
Use an Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype, or Georgia typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 11 points or larger. (A Symbol font may be used to insert Greek letters or special characters; the font size requirement still applies.)
Paper Size and Page Margins
Use standard paper size (8 ½" x 11).
Use at least half inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages. No information should appear in the margins, including the PI’s name and page numbers.
Page Formatting
Since a number of reviewers will be reviewing applications as an electronic document and not a paper version, applicants are strongly encouraged to use only a standard, single-column format for the text. Avoid using a two-column format since it can cause difficulties when reviewing the document electronically.
Application packets should be sent via email to CareerDevel@LACaTS.org. Applications do not need to be routed through the institutional research office.
- Informational Webinar - "LA CaTS Roadmap Scholar Application FAQs": Thursday, January 5, 2023 at noon (Zoom meeting link)
- Applications Deadline: 5:00pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 (submit via email to CareerDevel@LACaTS.org)
- Nominees and Mentors Notified by: Friday, April 28, 2023 (approximately)
- Salary support begins: July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025
- Classes begin for Scholars: Monday, July 3, 2023
SELECTED PAST ROADMAP SCHOLARS:
|
Name |
Year |
Institution |
Research Interest |
Current status |
|
Fokhrul Hossain, PhD |
2020 |
LSUH-NO |
Obesity Staging and Triple Negative Breast Cancers |
Promoted to Assistant Professor-Research Department of Genetics from Instructor in 2022. Awarded NIH Loan Repayment Program Award 2022-2023. |
|
Kara Marlatt, PhD |
2020 |
Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr |
Menopause and Adipose Tissue |
Awarded $500K 4-yr NIDDK K01 grant in 2022. Awarded NIH Loan Repayment Program Award and Renewal Award, 2021-2023. |
|
Christine Bojanowski, MD |
2019 |
Tulane University |
Chronic infections and Cystic Fibrosis |
Promoted to Co-Director of Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center in 2020. Awarded elite, $130K Gilead Research Scholar Program in Cystic Fibrosis in 2021. Selected as a Scholar for the Tulane University School of Medicine Scientist Pipeline Program. |
|
Amanda Staiano, PhD |
2015 |
Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr |
Childhood Obesity and Health Behavior |
Awarded $4.5M subaward for 5-yr PCORI grant, A Pragmatic Family-Centered Approach to Childhood Obesity Treatment. |
|
Maissaa Janbain, MD |
2015 |
Tulane University |
Hemophilia and Anti-fibrinolytic Therapy |
Secured $200,000 in extramural grant funding as a PI. Selected as a Scholar for the Tulane University School of Medicine Scientist Pipeline Program. |
|
Michael Hoerger, PhD |
2014 |
Tulane University |
How psychosocial factors contribute to cancer outcomes |
Founding director of Psycho-Oncology Research Program. Published over 50 articles and chapters early in career. Promoted to Associate Professor of Psychology, tenured, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology & Medical Oncology), and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry in 2021. |
|
Courtney Peterson, PhD |
2013 |
Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr |
Dietary strategies to mitigate or reverse chronic disease |
Promoted to Associate Professor in Dept of Nutrition Sciences at UAB. NCATS featured scientist in August 2018. In 2021, awarded $4.2M grant for 5-yr NCI grant. |
Learn more about past and current scholars and their projects.
| Roadmap Sample Support Letter_Mentor_July2021.pdf |
| Roadmap Sample Support Letter_Dean_July2021.pdf |
| Roadmap Sample Support Letter_Chief_July2021.pdf |
| Roadmap Sample Support Letter_Chair_July2021.pdf |