To be eligible for PittCATS K12, prospective Scholars must:

• Have a MD, PhD in a clinical discipline, PharmD, or equivalent (e.g., PsyD, ScD, DrPH, DVM, DMD, DO, ND) and may include physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, epidemiologists, clinical psychologists, behavioral scientists, and social workers.
• Have a faculty appointment at Pitt by the beginning date of their K12 appointment.

• Customized Career Development Plan (CCDP). The K12 Program Directors will work with each Scholar and mentoring team to develop an educational program uniquely tailored to meet the Scholar’s needs and goals. The CCDP allows scholars to master a core didactic set of competency-based skills needed for successful multidisciplinary translational research careers.
• Mentored Research. We consider mentoring to be critical to career development. ICRE has an existing Mentoring Program with which we will collaborate to support mentoring of the Scholar. Many elements of a mentoring program are operational within ICRE currently and will be modified for the PittCATS Program. Scholars will be guided on team mentoring concepts and importance in carrying out multidisciplinary research.
• Training Components. We have developed extensive didactic and experiential training opportunities, which will provide breadth and depth of training in clinical research methods and competencies and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) content. Our model for training will be to individualize the training program for each Scholar, taking into account their prior training.We will select outstanding PittCATS Program candidates and work with them in developing and implementing research projects. Each Scholar will develop a written research proposal which could feasibly be carried out over 3-5 years of committed support. In selecting research projects, we will also strongly consider whether the result will prepare the Scholar for submission of an independent peer-reviewed proposal. Additionally, Scholars will develop short and long-term plans for transition to independence.

Duration of Appointment:

• PittCATS K12 Scholars are given consecutive, 12-month appointments. Program leaders assess each Scholar’s career progress annually.

The CTS Scholars Program provides the following financial support:

• Seventy-five percent effort and salary support. The PittCATS K12 Program employs a University-based salary cap of $133,000. At the required 75% effort, the program cap will support salary expenses during a 12-month period of $100,000 maximum.
• An annual amount of $50,000 to support a Scholar’s career development activities, including expenses related to research studies (e.g., personnel, supplies, professional services); tuition and fees; and conference travel.

Each PittCATS K12 Scholar will have a primary mentor who will be required to have NIH, AHRQ, PCORI, or equivalent large research grants (such as an R01) or contracts at the time of the K12 award and commit to mentoring the Scholars throughout their career development.

While the primary mentor is responsible for the research career development of the Scholar, our model for mentors also includes co-mentors who bring expertise in a content area or complementary methodology. Since we view substance use and SUDs research as multidisciplinary, co-mentors from different disciplines will be encouraged. Thus, we will help Scholars select an additional 1-2 mentors who are from different disciplines and who become part of a multidisciplinary team.

The entire team is expected to meet at least monthly to design and plan research projects, discuss progress, develop solutions to specific problems, provide advice on project management, and help guide data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation.