This program seeks to equip academic clinical departments to train MD-only trainees and physicians of all clinical disciplines for full time careers in laboratory investigation. To achieve this goal, it will specifically furnish trainees (ranging from late stage medical students to residents and post-graduate trainees) with: (i) longitudinally structured, multidisciplinary career development plans that integrate individualized scientific training into clinical training from the time of matriculation. These plans will be explicitly tied to the professional finish line of faculty independence; (ii) financial support for extended full time research training; (iii) help managing the competing demands of work-life balance related to primary caregiver responsibilities; and (iv) membership in a Multi-institutional Consortium dedicated to the Advancement of Physician Scientists (MCAPS) whose explicit goal is to jumpstart professional networking and thereby facilitate longitudinal career stage transitions.
This program emphasizes three core concepts that address key barriers identified by the NIH Physician–Scientist Working Group: Start early, Stay focused, and Stay connected.
The updated RFA is here