Project Concept Review
Project Title: NCCAM Career Transition Award (K22)
Program Officer:
Nancy J. Pearson, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-594-0519
E-mail: pearsonn@mail.nih.gov
Background
NCCAM is committed to training researchers in CAM so that they are prepared to launch successful independent research careers. Providing support to such trainees is crucial to CAM research to ensure a sufficient number of highly trained researchers in this relatively new research field and to sustain high quality CAM research in the future.
One of the most challenging transitions in any research career is the transition from postdoctoral trainee to independent scientist. For postdoctoral trainees doing research in CAM, this transition has an added challenge because there are still relatively few CAM departments in research institutions where they might seek positions. Therefore, an initiative that would improve the chances of outstanding CAM postdoctoral scientists obtaining positions in either CAM and more conventional departments in research institutions would benefit the CAM research field as a whole.
Description
This transition award will provide up to 3 years of support to an outstanding advanced postdoctoral trainee who has been doing CAM research for at least 2 years at the postdoctoral level. Funds will be released once the trainee has obtained an independent research position at a research institution, such as an assistant professor position. The award will provide 3 years of salary at a minimum of 75 percent effort, fringe benefits, and a research development fund during the first 3 years that the applicant is an independent investigator.
Goals
The goal of this award is to assist outstanding postdoctoral scientists doing CAM research to make the transition from postdoctoral trainee to independent research scientist; and once they obtain an independent position, to have the protected time to develop their research career. The advantage to the applicant is that this award will give them a transferable research grant that they can activate immediately upon obtaining an independent research position. Therefore, since only outstanding advanced postdoctoral scientists will be selected for this award, they will not only have outstanding research credentials to offer a perspective employer, but also research funds that they can activate immediately upon accepting an independent position. The hope is that this will make them more attractive to research institutions and improve their chances of competing for independent positions at highly rated research institutions. A related goal for NCCAM is to increase the probability that the very best new CAM researchers will obtain positions at research-intensive institutions and start foci of high quality CAM research at these sites.
Proposed Funding Mechanisms
K22 Transition award
