Workforce Development

Anticipating a call for SUSTAIN applications but timing is to be determined.

ACTRI Seeks Applicants for SUSTAIN program to support successful grant resubmissions among Clinical and Translational Science (CTS)-engaged faculty.

The purpose of the ACTRI SUSTAIN (Supporting Unfunded Scholars in Translational and Interdisciplinary Networks) program is to support CTS-engaged faculty members in submitting successful resubmissions of grant applications. Increasing the rate of successful resubmission of grants during early critical career phases could positively impact sustainment of research careers among faculty. The SUSTAIN program provides up to 1-2 years of protected time and grant writing training to awarded scholars.

Eligibility

This is not a post-doctoral fellowship, but is intended for UC San Diego faculty members in any academic series who will have completed their training and have a faculty appointment. Applicants from all departments/divisions of UCSD are eligible. 

Candidates must meet criteria (of the first 3 only one must be met):

• Identify as an under-represented racial or ethnic minority as defined by UC San Diego Health Sciences: https://medschool.ucsd.edu/vchs/faculty-academics/faculty-affairs/Resources/Pages/helpful-links.aspx
• Identify as a person from a disadvantaged background as defined by NIH
  criteria: https://extramural-diversity.nih.gov/diversity-matters/disadvantaged-backgrounds
• Identify as having a disability as defined by NIH criteria:
  https://extramural-diversity.nih.gov/diversity-matters/individuals-with-disabilities,
• Have already submitted and received a summary statement from a K, R, or equivalent grant mechanism
• Planning to resubmit the grant within 1 year (or submit a new grant in 1 year that is either an NIH K, KL2, R or equivalent)
• Be currently appointed as a faculty member in any academic series (or appointed at the start of SUSTAIN funding)

The SUSTAIN program provides 1-2 years of 50% full-time salary support (including benefits) for up to 2 awarded scholars per year. The other 50% must be matched by the department, and the total effort devoted to research must be 75% or greater. Applicants who have already received an R01 or equivalent grant are not eligible. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents. ACTRI will grant up to $60,000 towards salary, plus benefits. Up to two years of support can be provided, and it is expected that during the support period the grant resubmission will be completed. 

The program is intended to be flexible in research and training activities, as specified in the Research and Training Plan. The Research and Training plan should detail expected activities, to include collection of additional preliminary data, expansion of scientific networks, and/or additional methodologic training.  All participants are expected to apply for participation in a grant writing workshop, in particular those led by the UC San Diego Office of Faculty Affairs. A timeline should be provided for these activities, including the anticipated date of resubmission. 

Note that eligible applicants for the KL2 Program do not need to submit a separate application for this opportunity. Candidates will have the option to opt in to being considered for the SUSTAIN program during the KL2 application.

Questions regarding this program should be directed to ACTRI-Education@health.ucsd.edu, including Adriana Tremoulet (atremoulet@health.ucsd.edu) and Colin Depp (cdepp@health.ucsd.edu)

Application Instructions

Applicants should use the following table to guide the structure, content and page limitations of their proposals:

Anticipating a call for K applications but timing is to be determined.

The ACTRI KL2 Grant Support program is an institutional equivalent of a K23, K01 or K08 award, a research training grant for junior faculty, provides up to three years of research career development support and up to $120,000 for UC San Diego instructors or assistant professors.

This is not a post-doctoral fellowship, but is intended for UC San Diego and ACTRI partner research institution (including UC Riverside) instructors or assistant professors in any academic series as well as fellows, research assistant professors or postdoctoral researchers who will have completed their training and have a faculty appointment (tenured or non-tenured) by the time of receipt of funding.

Eligibility

Applicants appointed (or pending appointment) in all departments/divisions of UCSD are eligible as well as in a ACTRI partner research institution including Sanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Salk Institute, and La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. In addition, eligible faculty and postdoctoral researchers from UC Riverside are also eligible to apply.

See here for KL2 and SUSTAIN Programs

Application Instructions

The format for this application resembles that used in individual K grant applications. Please use the links below for guidance, when appropriate.

Applicants should use the following table to guide the structure, content and page limitations of their proposals:

Check out the impact of this program on the  KL2 Outcomes Dashboard 

Cultivating the next generation of translational physician researchers requires time dedicated to hands on experience in clinical or basic science research. Medical students often have a strong interest in conducting research in more depth than time allows during the busy four-year curriculum of medical school. As a research-intense institution, UCSD has a commitment towards producing graduates who have the training and experience to successfully continue down the educational pipeline towards careers in academic medicine.

The MedGap program seeks to meet the goal of developing the next generation of physician researchers through providing support for UCSD medical students participating in a yearlong research program.

Clinical and translational research training program:  

The program draws support from the UCSD School of Medicine and the ACTRI.

UCSD medical students will participate in this 12-month program between their 3rd and 4th years of medical school. Students in the program will identify a UCSD faculty research mentor, and will work in their mentor's lab or research group over the year. Students will receive training in biostatistics (2 courses), and will have the option to further their research education with supplemental courses within and outside UCSD. The seminar series will incorporate high-yield presentations on research skills, and will incorporate a works-in-progress series where students present their ongoing research.

Application and review process:  

Students apply to the program through a structured application:

• Clinical, translational, health services, outcomes, and basic science research proposals (the latter with a translational focus) will all be considered for support. All research projects must occur under the mentorship of a UCSD faculty mentor.
• The application will include a personal statement (max 1 page), mentor NIH biosketch, training plan/goals (1 page) and a research proposal.
• The research proposal (5 pages max, 1.15 line spacing) consists of specific aims, background and significance of the work, and the research approach (not including references). 

Applications will be reviewed by a faculty committee which includes the program directors, members of the ACTRI Education Committee, and leadership from the Division of Medical Education within the School of Medicine. Students may pursue a Master’s degree concurrently with this research, but this program will not support tuition costs for a Master’s degree. For those who pursue a Master’s degree the rationale for the degree should be clearly articulated in the student’s research training plan.
Click here for application supplemental guidance.

Financial support:  

Support will be provided at the current NIH predoctoral stipend levels ($25,320/year, divided into every other month allocations), and will include a health insurance supplement of $4680, equivalent to SHIP (Student Health Insurance Plan) for three quarters.

Deadlines:  

Application deadlines will be posted in the fall each year, though typically the application due date will fall in February. Please feel free to contact the new program director Dr. H. Irene Su with questions about the program.

Effective mentoring is crucial to translational research. Below are key mentorship and career development resources at UC San Diego and beyond. 

Individual Development Plan (IDP) & Mentor Compact 

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is recommended for all graduate students, postdocs, junior faculty, and research staff. NIH requires IDPs for funded trainees, and UC San Diego encourages their use. A Mentor Compact helps set clear expectations—access our modified mentor compact to tailor it to your mentorship needs. 

Mentoring

• Faculty Mentoring Program – Roles & responsibilities of mentors and mentees. 
  • For general information about UC San Diego's faculty mentoring program, including roles and responsibilities of mentors and mentees, please visit Academic Affairs. 

• UC San Diego Health Sciences National Center of Leadership in Academic Medicine (NCLAM) – A UCSD seven-month career development program for junior Health Sciences faculty. 

• The UC San Diego Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) and Master of Advanced Studies in Clinical Research (MAS) – Clinical research training for faculty involvement as trainees, mentors, or lecturers. Contact Maureen Eijsermans for details. 

• Postdoc Resources – UC San Diego Office of Postdoctoral and Visiting Scholar Affairs offers IDP guidance and mentoring support. 
• Career Connection – A free program for UC San Diego staff focused on career growth.
• Research Coordinator & Administrator Training (RCAT) – Monthly training on research compliance and best practices. 
  • Please contact the UC San Diego Health Science Research Compliance Program for more information. 

• NIH Guide  to Selecting a Research Mentor – Best practices for finding the right mentor. 
• Faculty Mentor Program  – Helps UC San Diego undergraduates secure research positions and present at the annual symposium. Contact Jessica Davis (jjd010@ucsd.edu). 

UC San Diego ACTRI Education, Training, and Career Development Program – Provides consultations on integrating mentoring into training grants.

• University of Wisconsin-Madison – Entering Mentoring seminar and mentoring guides. 
  • Entering Mentoring: A Seminar to Train a New Generation of Scientists - geared toward mentors who wish to improve their skills. 
  • Resources for Each Phase of the Mentoring Relationship, - has links to information for both mentors and mentees. 

• UCSF Clinical & Translational Science Institute – Free Mentor Development Program seminar and provides course materials for various aspects of mentorship are available free to the public. 

Translational Science Career Development Seminar Series

A monthly series covering scientific communication, career planning, and research skills. Open to Early Career K awardees from UC San Diego and partner institutions. 

Past Seminar Videos 

Watch recorded sessions on the ACTRI YouTube Channel:  

• Publishing From The Editor's Perspective   

• Responding to Reviewers' Criticisms   

• Manuscript Construction   

• Biostatistics   

• Grant Writing   

• How to Tell a Story (lectures, papers, grant applications) 

What is a diversity supplement?

1. NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Admin Supplement) provides additional funds to principal investigators to recruit eligible investigators from underrepresented groups to engage in research experiences in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences.
2. Provides funding for trainees and faculty to work on an existing NIH-funded project with 2 award years or more left.
3. Much less competitive than peer-reviewed grant funding mechanisms and can provide an excellent entry point for a research career.
4. Goal: to enhance the diversity of the research workforce by recruiting and supporting students, post doctorates, and eligible faculty investigators from historically marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds, including those from groups that have been shown to be nationally underrepresented in health-related research.

Where can I find out more information about them?

• Diversity Supplements Webinar (May 20, 2022)
  
  
  • Diversity Supplements Webinar - Recording
  • Diversity Supplements Webinar - Presentation
  • UCSD Diversity Supplement Resources.pdf
• PIs:
  • Supplement opportunities and contacts at NIH are at the link: Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Contacts, Submission Dates and Special Instructions) PA-21-071 | grants.nih.gov
• Students / Candidates:
  
  
  • Part 1: NIH Diversity Supplements Webinar - March 3, 2021 - YouTube
  • Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tttKvr2dBU
• Postbaccalaureate / Staff Candidate

A postbac level diversity supplement cannot exceed the NRSA levels for a graduate student. The specific language in the PA is “The salary for baccalaureate and master's degree holders should be reasonable and consistent with the institutional salary policies and cannot exceed the compensation allowed for graduate students.” Although, the staff candidate receiving higher compensation should not be taking a pay cut because the NIH limits the amount of federal funds that are used to support salary. The institution is allowed to subsidize the candidate’s pay and there is no limit on what can be subsidized. Additionally, being supported on a research grant should not dictate the salary of the candidate. The candidate’s salary should not be reduced and held to the grant support only. 

Further, a proposal in which the effort is less than 75% is not frowned upon, but the training and mentoring plan need to be outlined so that the reviewers are aware of the goals for the supplement and how they will assist the candidate in reaching their career goals (i.e., graduate school, medical school, etc.). It is encouraged to contact the NIH institute program officer of the parent grant and let them know you are applying for a diversity supplement; you can also provide them with the research aims.  It is also strongly encouraged to work with a Training Program Officer to get technical assistance on preparing the Diversity Supplement. Your PO can help you to identify that person, or you can reach out directly to a Training Contact.  

See the PDF file with additional information on the application components for a diversity supplement.

How to apply?

We are using this site to identify candidates and PIs interested in pursuing diversity supplements and potentially facilitating connections as a resource. We are gathering names and pertinent information. If submitting an inquiry, please let us know a little bit about what specifically you are looking for in terms of a project and your current research interests.

You can Submit an Inquiry if one of the following choices applies to you:

1. I believe I am eligible for a diversity supplement and I want to know how to find someone to work with on a project.
2. I am a PI and am interested in how to find an eligible candidate to apply for a diversity supplement who wants to work on my project.
3. I have a general question about diversity supplements, eligibility, how to apply, deadlines, etc.

Diversity Supplement Repository

Our Diversity Supplement Repository is a collection of successfully funded NIH and NSF research projects made available as a resource for anyone affiliated with UCSD or another institution to review by the UCSD community and beyond.

We are grateful to the generosity of UCSD and UCLA Principal Investigators and award recipients who have agreed to donate their successful grant applications for the purpose of sharing with grant writers, investigators at various stages of their careers, residents, students, volunteers and others interested in developing future successful applications. Because these are voluntary contributions, we need to respect the confidential nature of each individual application. We will allow secure access to the repository for affiliated individuals who complete a request form and agree to follow specific terms of use. Our team will approve access and maintain a list for our future reference.

Submit Access Request

Please use the “Submit Access Request” button to open a Diversity Supplement Request Form which routes to our team when you send your request. Please enter your information in the form and follow the steps for completing our Terms of Use attestation toward the bottom. Be sure to open the “Click Here” link that fits you best and DocuSign will open the corresponding Attestation. Once completed, click the finish button in DocuSign and please download a copy to be uploaded into the Request Form by dragging and dropping. Once submitted, our team will review and be in contact by email within 1-3 business days to accept your request. Upon acceptance, two separate emails will be sent: 1) a OneDrive link for accessing links within a table of contents listing our selection of successful applications and 2) a password for opening any application’s link.

• At Research Center for Optimal Digital Ethics (ReCODE) Health, we strive to increase research literacy and capacity among researchers and community members through our educational initiatives including courses, webinars, and publications. Learn more here.

• BRIC was initiated in 2002 with funding from the National Institutes of Health. Our goal was to educate community members, including Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Promotores, who were assisting academic researchers. CHWs and Promotores were involved as members of the research team to assist with Latino health research studies, yet had no formal research training. Without appropriate training, researchers were concerned about the scientific integrity of their community based/placed research. An initial goal of BRIC was to develop culturally-tailored, language-appropriate, formal research education that included an introduction to the scientific method and the importance of conducting research ethically and responsibly.

BRIC Courses

• An Interactive Guide for Promotores de Salud/Community Health Workers | BRIC Training: This course is designed to increase research literacy and awareness of ethical research practices among community members involved in academic research. Our target learners are research team members, including Promotores and Community Health Workers, who assist with designing and implementing community and clinic-based health research.
  • A total of 64 individuals have completed the training with a passing score of 80% since 2021

• Designing Research for Diversity

• In partnership with the ACTRI, this course is for researchers to design and carry out research involving Latino and other underrepresented populations. It is designed to increase awareness about engaging, recruiting, and working with diverse populations in research.

• A total of 13 individuals have completed the free online self-paced course. The UC San Diego Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) Program offered the course to 11 and 15 students in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

TheCreAting Dedicated Scientists through Research Education (CADRE) program is an innovative initiative led by the UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) to provide research immersion opportunities for underserved college students in San Diego County. CADRE supports students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in science, offering hands-on experience in translational research, financial assistance, and faculty mentorship. Partnering with local community colleges and UC San Diego, the program empowers students to balance work and research, addressing barriers to participation while preparing them for scientific careers.

Through paid research positions, mentorship, and specialized training like the Clinical Coordinator Bootcamp, CADRE equips students with practical skills and professional development. Participants gain access to ACTRI’s resources, including vouchers for biostatistics consultations and other project support services. The program’s outcomes are transformative, with students pursuing advanced degrees, securing research positions, and contributing to diversity in science. CADRE exemplifies how inclusive education and mentorship can cultivate the next generation of scientific leaders.

Learn more about the CADRE Program

What is Good Clinical Practice?

NIH issued a policy, effective January 1, 2017, establishing the requirement that all investigators and staff involved in the conduct, oversight, or management of NIH funded clinical trials must be trained in Good Clinical Practice (GCP). 

GCP is an internationally recognized ethical and scientific quality standard for designing, conducting, recording, and reporting clinical trials that involve human participants. GCP ensures that the rights, safety, and well-being of trial participants are protected, consistent with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, and that the data generated in the trial is credible and reliable.

Why GCP is Important

• Participant Safety: It ensures the rights and well-being of participants are safeguarded.
• Data Quality: It guarantees the reliability and integrity of data, facilitating regulatory approval of new therapies.
• Global Standardization: GCP harmonizes clinical trial processes across different countries, allowing for international collaboration and recognition of research findings.

Learn about UCSD's GCP policy and access GCP resources (UCSD AD login required)