The goals of the K Award Program are:
- To train a new generation of diverse investigators who will lead translational, interdisciplinary research to improve the health of the population, with special focus on the health of historically marginalized communities in the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley.
- To facilitate junior translational investigators conducting high quality translational science by providing intensive interdisciplinary mentoring, workshops and critical appraisal of research, and supporting both research and Scholars’ wellness.
CTSA K Grant Awards
CTSA K awards provide up to 3 years of support for mentored research career development to investigators who have recently completed professional training and who are commencing translational and/or clinical research.
Fast Facts:
- Career Development Awards (CDAs) are sponsored by a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the NIH and the Einstein/Montefiore Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.
- We encourage applications from investigators from backgrounds that are under-represented in Medicine and Science.
- Awards include salary support for the Scholar plus additional funding for research training and research related expenses.
- Scholars must be supervised by a primary mentor, who should be willing to devote significant effort to mentoring activities during the period of this award, and a designated co-mentor.
- Many Scholars will participate in Einstein’s Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP), a CTSA-funded curriculum in clinical research methods leading to the M.S. degree, or similar didactic training.
Applying for a Mentored Career Development Award
Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit an application for a Mentored Career Development Award.
- Applicants must have a research or health-professional doctoral degree or its equivalent, and be able to commit a minimum of 9 calendar months (75%) of full-time professional effort for career development and research associated with the program. Surgical specialties can have less than 75% of full-time professional effort), but no less than 50%, protected time for this program, if sufficiently justified and programmatically approved.
The remaining 3 calendar months’ (25%) effort can be divided among other research, clinical and teaching activities only if these activities are consistent with the proposed goals of the KL2 program.
Funding Priorities
The career development award is reviewed by a study section who rates the applications based on the applicant, the mentors, the institutional commitment to the applicant, a career development plan that will advance the Scholar’s learning as a translational scientist, and the scientific merit of the project.
This program is non-categorical and welcomes translational/clinical research in any specialty, disease, or organ system. For the next grant cycle, we will also have two specific research area funding priorities:
- Health Equity Research
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center have been committed to improving the health of the underserved population in the Bronx and Westchester since their inception. In recent years, this focus has included community and stakeholder initiatives and research focused on improving health outcomes of our under-resourced population. We seek to fund projects that focus on improving Health Equity in the Bronx and beyond.
- Brain Science Research
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center have created a well-regarded and well-funded Brain Science Program led by the Departments of Neurological Surgery, Neurology, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. This includes the Psychiatry Research Institute at Montefiore Einstein (PRIME) created in 2017. PRIME houses research in psychiatric conditions, substance abuse disorders, and autism, and established an inter-institutional Center for Health Equity, which supports health disparities and multicultural mental health research.
Tips for Applying for a Career Development Award
- Read the funding announcement carefully
- Start early (allow yourself at least 8 weeks to put together the application)
- Discuss with your mentor (if you don’t have a mentor, you can contact the Program Directors of the K Program for help)
- Identify a co-mentor with complementary expertise to your mentor (you can contact the Program Directors of the K Program for help)
- Write a Career Development Plan (can include formal coursework, intensive mentorship, Clinical Research Training Program, etc)
- Write a Research Plan (get input on research proposal from mentors and other trusted advisors)
- Schedule a meeting with the K Program Directors (Drs. Marantz and Melamed) if you have questions
Application information contact Nancy Marte at Nancy.Marte@einsteinmed.edu.
Current KL2 Scholars:
Past KL2 Scholars Spotlight
Spotlight on Success:
![Tanya S. Johns, M.D.]()
Tanya S. Johns, M.D.
Dr. Tanya Johns, a nephrologist, was supported on the KL2 from 2017-2020. She completed Internal Medicine training at NY Presbyterian/ Cornell where she was Assistant Chief Resident and graduated from the Johns Hopkins Nephrology Fellowship with a Masters in Health Sciences. Her over-arching research goal is to increase health equity and improve outcomes for all patients with kidney disease. Her KL2 project focused on Interdisciplinary Care in racial and ethnic minorities as a way to better prepare for end-stage kidney disease. She currently has a K23 award from NIDDK focused on diet related inflammation and kidney function decline in racial/ ethnic minorities.
Read the Paper
![Sofiya Milman, M.D., M.S.]()
Sofiya Milman, M.D., M.S.
The KL2 Program was instrumental in my career development. It provided me with protected time to advance my research program and skills, which ultimately led to K23 funding and an independent career in research. Moreover, the career mentorship that I received during that time continues to benefit me to this day.
Leadership