NCATS supports the development of translational science training and career development programs at universities and research institutions across the country to cultivate an innovative translational science workforce. This is accomplished through investments in the NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program and the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN). Each year, these programs enable the educational and professional development of hundreds of scholars who become the next generation of leading translational scientists. See below for the descriptions of training programs offered by our partner institutions.
Learn more about how the CTSA Program promotes activities and opportunities to support a clinical and translational science workforce in this fact sheet.
NCATS CTSA Program: Research Training TL1 Program
This institutional National Research Service Award supports the training of predoctoral and medical students and postdoctoral fellows seeking a practical introduction to clinical and translational research. The objective of the TL1 program is to increase the number of well-trained clinician-scientists who can lead the design and oversight of future clinical investigations critical to the overall mission of NCATS and NIH.
Contact: Carol Merchant, M.D.
NCATS CTSA Program: Mentored Career Development KL2 Program
This institutional Mentored Career Development Award supports the training of early-career scholars seeking advanced research training in therapeutics, clinical interventions and behavioral modifications to improve health. KL2 Program appointees, referred to as Clinical Research KL2 Scholars, come from a variety of health-related fields and receive a rich career development experience in a multidisciplinary setting with protected research time. The objective of the program is to facilitate the development of clinician-scientists who will ultimately lead collaborative research efforts in translational science.
Contact: Joan Nagel, M.D., M.P.H.
NCATS CTSA Program: Eli Lilly Scholars Externship Program
This is an opportunity for an externship in clinical and translational sciences at Eli Lilly and Company for scholars, trainees and investigators who are supported by the NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program. The externship at Eli Lilly, a large pharmaceutical company, facilitates the training and education of participants in techniques and principles needed for translational research.
Contact: Joan Nagel, M.D., M.P.H.
NCATS CTSA Program: Research Supplements to Promote Re-Entry and Diversity
This award supplement program enhances the diversity of the clinical and translational research workforce by recruiting and supporting students, postdoctorates and eligible investigators from groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related research and those who are or have become disabled and need additional support to accommodate their disability to continue to work on a research project. This program also supports individuals with a high potential to re-enter an active research career after an interruption for family responsibilities or other qualifying circumstances.
Contact: Erica Rosemond, Ph.D.
NCATS CTSA Program: I-Corps™ Train-the-Trainer Program
The Train-the-Trainer program fosters I-Corps™ leaders at NCATS CTSA Program hubs who in turn will provide entrepreneurship training to other translational scientists at their institution on how to translate their research into a business product. These trained individuals will help disseminate evidence-based practices in the commercialization of clinical and translational research activities and build entrepreneurial capacity locally and regionally across CTSA Program hubs.
Contact: David Wilde, M.D., Ph.D.
Training Component of NCATS-Led RDCRN Program
The NCATS RDCRN Program offers training opportunities for new investigators in rare diseases clinical research within each consortium. The RDCRN provides a unique environment for clinical rare diseases research that can be used to prepare new scientists for careers in the field and provide the opportunity for established scientists to reorient their research careers toward rare diseases research through relevant courses, mentorship and participation in clinical research.
Contact: Tiina Urv, Ph.D.
NCATS also offers intramural training in translational research and translational science. Learn more about training at NCATS.