Freqently Asked Questions

I. Eligibility

Are non-US citizens eligible for this K-12 program?
Is this for MDs and clinicians only? Can PhDs apply?
Do I have to have a clinical degree to apply?
Am I eligible if I already had a K23 award or another award?
Can I apply to the program if I do not have an appointment within the University?
What level of training do I need? (fellow, postdoc, or faculty)?
If I am planning a career in basic science research (e.g., laboratory, animal research), am I eligible for this program?
If I am a co-investigator, but have never been a principal investigator on a R01, am I still eligible?

II. Application

Does each applicant have to be approved by the NIH as well as by the University?
How many cycles of applications are there? What are the submission dates?
I am trying to determine whether the K12 program at SOM is going to be more or less competitive than an individual K23 career development award. 
Who can I contact with questions?
What elements should be included in my application to make it a very strong application?

III. Program

What is the duration of support?
Is the K30 required training for Scholars?
Do I need to spend 75% in MCRCDP?
Can I apply for a K award while I am in MCRCDP?

IV. Mentoring

How many mentors do I need?
Do I select my mentors? If so, how do I select my mentors?
How many disciplines do the mentors need to represent?
Can all of the mentors be paid?
Can anyone serve as a mentor?
What is team mentoring?

V. Multidisciplinary Clinical Research

What is the difference between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary?
What is clinical research?
Is basic or animal research considered clinical research?

VI. Mechanism of support

Does the program provide each applicant office space?
Besides my salary, what else is supported?
If I am a faculty member, who pays the other 25% of the salary, or is my salary now 75% of my original salary?

I. Eligibility

Are non-US citizens eligible for this K-12 program?
In accordance with NIH policy, the award is only for US Citizens or permanent residents. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.

Is this for MDs and clinicians only? Can PhDs apply?
Anyone with a doctorate or PhD degree or its equivalent is eligible, including: MD, PhD, DPH, DO, DDS, DMD, OD, DC, PharmD, ND or PsyD.

Do I have to have a clinical degree to apply?
You do not have to have a clinical degree; however, your career goals and interests must be in multidisciplinary clinical research.

Am I eligible if I already had a K23 award or another award?
Those who have been a principal investigator on a K award, an R01, a R21 or on a subproject of a Program Project (P01) or Center (P50, P60, U54) are not eligible. However, Scholars may have had support on a NRSA grant (F or T) or an NIH small grant (R03).

Can I apply to the program if I do not have an appointment within the University?
At the time of application, you do not have to have an appointment within in the University. However, you will need an appointment when you enroll as a Scholar. At the time of application, a letter is required from the department chair indicating that you will have an faculty appointment at the assistant professor level should you be selected as a Scholar.

What level of training do I need? (fellow, postdoc, or faculty)?
We are interested in clinical fellows during their research years. Postdoctoral candidates are encouraged to apply once they have successfully completed their PhD. Faculty candidates are encouraged to apply early in their careers.

If I am planning a career in basic science research (e.g., laboratory, animal research), am I eligible for this program?
No, this program is designed for individuals who are preparing for careers in clinical research.

If I am a co-investigator, but have never been a principal investigator on a R01, am I still eligible?
Yes.

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II. Application

Does each applicant have to be approved by the NIH as well as by the University?
All Scholars are selected by the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee (MAC) based on their application materials. The materials from the selected Scholars are then forwarded to NIH for final approval.

How many cycles of applications are there? What are the submission dates?
We anticipate having an annual December submission date, with Scholars generally starting in July of the following year.

This is something that should be discussed with your mentor and someone from the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee (MAC) to determine which mechanism is better suited for you, given your level of training and experience.

Laura Bell-Martin is the administrative contact for the program. If she is unable to answer your question, she can put you in contact with someone who will work with you. Laura can be reached by telephone at 410.706.6283 or via e-mail at k12mcrscholars@medicine.umaryland.edu.

There are a number of elements that are considered essential to a strong application:

• Well thought out research and career development plans;
• A clear commitment to a career in multidisciplinary clinical research;
• A demonstration of an understanding of what multidisciplinary research is;
• The selection of mentors from different and divergent disciplines, likely from different departments, divisions, or schools;
• A strong plan for team mentoring and a demonstrated understanding of what we mean by team mentoring in the mentors' letters;
• Planned or current affiliation with a University laboratory, center, institute, or research program;
• A clear promise of protected time by your chief, chair, or dean; and
• The provision of financial and other resources to support your research career development as indicated by the chief, chair, or dean's letter of support.

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III. Program

What is the duration of support?
Scholars can be supported for two to five years. It is required that fellows and postdoctoral Scholars be promoted to faculty level. The commitment to a faculty position by the Departments will be a requirement in the selection of Scholars.

Is the K30 required training for Scholars?
Some of the K30 courses may not be appropriate for every Scholar. We want every Scholar to pursue individualized training that best suits their background and career development plan. However, if an applicant does not have an advanced clinical research degree, he/she is expected to seek a Master of Science in Clinical Research or equivalent degree while in the program.

Do I need to spend 75% in MCRCDP?
Yes. In order to maximize the training you receive, you must have 75% protected time as a Scholar. The only exception to this would be a discipline such as surgery where you can only devote 50% effort for clinical research to maintain your clinical skills.

Can I apply for a K award while I am in MCRCDP?
After five years in the program, it is expected that you will apply for an RO1, R21 or similar award. Scholars may remain in the program for up to five years; however, there may be circumstances in which applying for a K award in your early years is appropriate. You will need to consult with the program leadership to make this determination.

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IV. Mentoring

How many mentors do I need?
Scholars are encouraged to have as many mentors as is appropriate, given their area of research. A minimum of two primary mentors from different disciplines is required. We encourage you to select mentors from very divergent disciplines. For example, pharmacy and pharmacology would not be considered divergent nor would infectious disease and microbiology. On the other hand, a project involving a microbiologist, a neuropathologist and a statistician would be considered divergent.

Do I select my mentors? If so, how do I select my mentors?
Scholars are encouraged to work with their division chief or department chair and members of the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee (MAC) to select mentors that are appropriate given their area of research.

How many disciplines do the mentors need to represent?
Each mentor should be from a different discipline.

Can all of the mentors be paid?
A total of $10,000 will be provided to at least two primary mentors. However, should other mentors be involved, the dollars can be divided differently. The distribution of these dollars should be decided by you and your mentors. The level of support for mentors may be supplemented by individual Schools as well.

Can anyone serve as a mentor?
Mentors must have established research careers with a record of mentoring. Generally, each Scholar will have two primary mentors and other co-mentors. Your mentors do not have to be on the currently MCRCDP approved list. The mentors you select will have to be approved by the Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee (MAC) and NIH after you have been selected.

What is team mentoring?
A critical element of the MCRCDP is the use of team mentoring. For this program, team mentoring means more than having multiple mentors working with the mentee; it means having mentors working together as a team to contribute to the mentee's career development. The concept was developed through the NIH Roadmap initiative which found that "the scale and complexity of today's biomedical research problems increasingly demands that scientists move beyond the confines of their own discipline and explore new organizational models for team science." Today's research requires bringing together the perspectives of multiple disciplines to examine a research question right from the beginning. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to develop and conduct research projects that are new and innovative and that would not be possible using a traditional single discipline or multiple disciplines working individually with a mentee approach. It is the synergy created when investigators from multiple disciplines come together that will result in the development of new scientific approaches. This team mentoring model provides benefits for the mentee as he/she learns multidisciplinary methods of discovery and the mentors as they have the opportunity to bring fresh perspectives to the research question they are examining. The MCRCDP is promoting the development of this team science through the conduct of multidisciplinary research and the use of team mentoring for mentees.The team of primary mentors should meet together with Scholar on a regular basis, preferably weekly during the first year. The team mentoring plan submitted as part of the application should reflect this co-mentoring approach.

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V. Multidisciplinary Clinical Research

What is the difference between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary?
As noted in the NIH Roadmap Initiative, a multidisciplinary approach brings together numerous experts from diverse disciplines to collectively address a complex problem, with each expert addressing the issues from the perspective of his or her own discipline. In contrast, an interdisciplinary approach is what results from the melding of two or more disciplines to create a new (interdisciplinary) science. Biophysics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, bioengineering, social neuroscience, and psychoneuroimmunology are just a few examples of existing interdisciplinary sciences.

Clinical research has generally been defined as patient-oriented research -- research conducted with human subjects (or on material of human origin such as tissues, specimens and cognitive phenomena) for which an investigator (or colleague) directly interacts with human subjects.

This area of research includes:

• Mechanisms of human disease
• Therapeutic interventions
• Clinical trials
• Translational research
• Development of new technologies
• Epidemiologic and behavioral studies
• Translational research
• Outcomes research and health services research

No. Clinical research as defined by NIH for the purpose of this Program includes patient-oriented research; translational research; small- and large-scale clinical investigations and trials; epidemiologic and natural history studies; and outcomes and health services research.

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VI. Mechanism of support

Does the program provide each applicant office space?
Each Scholar will have dedicated office space in the MCRCDP office suite, which is designated the Shared Research Facility. There is also a common space where Scholars can interact and work with mentors and other faculty.

There is 75% salary support for Scholars as well as associated fringe benefits. The total salary must be based on a 12-month faculty appointment and the level of effort related to the MCRCDP activities. In all cases, salary requested must be consistent with the level of effort; support for tuition, fees and books related to multidisciplinary clinical research training; support for scholars to travel to the annual NIH K12 meeting for Scholars and to one additional training or scientific meeting per year; typically, $25,000 per year that will be used to provide support for a project designed by the Scholar.

There is also $10,000 total per year for mentors per Scholar; and consultative support through the School of Medicine's General Clinical Research Center (GCRC). GCRC members will offer expert consultations on research methodology, measurement adaptation and evaluation, form design, protocol preparation, data management, data collection and analysis.

If I am a faculty member, who pays the other 25% of the salary, or is my salary now 75% of my original salary?
It is expected that your department will cover the 25% of your salary from non-Federal sources, with an expectation that you will contribute 25% to the department in teaching, patient care or other activities.

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