Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Apr;92(4):556-562.
doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000001473.

Transition to Independence: Characteristics and Outcomes of Mentored Career Development (KL2) Scholars at Clinical and Translational Science Award Institutions

Carol Sweeney  1 , Lisa S Schwartz, Robert Toto, Carol Merchant, Alecia S Fair, Janice L Gabrilove; CTSA Mentored-to-Independent Investigator Transition Working Group
Affiliations

Transition to Independence: Characteristics and Outcomes of Mentored Career Development (KL2) Scholars at Clinical and Translational Science Award Institutions

Carol Sweeney et al. Acad Med. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the transition from mentored to independent research funding for clinical and translational scholars supported by institutional KL2 Mentored Career Development programs.

Method: In 2013, faculty leaders at Clinical and Translational Science Award institutions completed an online survey, reporting characteristics of scholars in their KL2 programs from 2006 to 2013. The primary outcome variable was a report that the scholar had received independent funding as a principal investigator. Data analysis included descriptive summaries and mixed-effects regression models.

Results: Respondents from 48 institutions (of 62 eligible; 77%) provided information about 914 KL2 scholars. Of those, 620 (68%) were medical doctors, 114 (12%) had other clinical training, and 177 (19%) were nonclinician PhDs. Fifty-three percent (487) were female; 12% (108/865) were members of racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine (URM). After completing KL2 training, 96% (558/582) remained engaged in research. Among scholars who completed KL2 training two or more years earlier, 39% (149/374) received independent funding. Independent funding was from non-National Institutes of Health (NIH) sources (120 scholars) more often than from NIH (101 scholars). The odds of a nonclinician attaining independent funding were twice those of a clinician (odds ratio 2.05; 95% confidence interval 1.11-3.78). Female and URM scholars were as likely as male and non-URM scholars to attain independent funding.

Conclusions: KL2 programs supported the transition to independent funding for clinical and translational scientists. Female and URM scholars were well represented. Future studies should consider non-NIH funding sources when assessing the transition to research independence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Grants awarded to mentored clinical and translational scholars who completed their KL2 training from 2007–2013, by year since completion of KL2 training. Based on data from 601 scholars; excluded are 40 scholars for whom incomplete grant information was reported and 3 scholars with missing data on the year of completion of KL2 training.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Grants awarded to mentored clinical and translational scholars who completed their KL2 training from 2007–2013, by type of previous clinical and/or PhD training. Based on data from 601 scholars; excluded are 40 scholars for whom incomplete grant information was reported and 4 scholars with missing data on previous clinical and/or PhD training.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wyngaarden JB. The clinical investigator as an endangered species. N Engl J Med. 1979;301:1254–1259. - PubMed
    1. Schafer AI. The vanishing physician-scientist? Transl Res. 2010;155:1–2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Meyers FJ, Begg MD, Fleming M, Merchant C. Strengthening the career development of clinical translational scientist trainees: A consensus statement of the Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) Research Education and Career Development Committees. Clin Transl Sci. 2012;5:132–137. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Garrison HH, Deschamps AM. NIH research funding and early career physician scientists: Continuing challenges in the 21st century. FASEB J. 2014;28:1049–1058. - PMC - PubMed
    1. National Institutes of Health. Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group Report. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 2014. Office of Extramural Research.