# Career Enhancement Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2020 · $64,069

## Abstract

The Congenital and Perinatal Infections Consortium (CPIC) Career Enhancement Core will impact the
research career development of the next generation of rare diseases researchers focusing on congenital
cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease, neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, and neonatal enterovirus (EV)
and parechovirus (HPeV) sepsis. The Career Enhancement Core will promote the development of research
skills and knowledge for those at all career stages in support of a diverse, innovative, and ethically rigorous
research base. The overall goal of the Core is to provide didactic and experiential training in clinical and
translational research in order to enhance scientific knowledge and an understanding of stakeholder
perspectives unique to the rare diseases patient cohort.
To develop CPIC Research Scholars, the Career Enhancement Core will: 1) identify and recruit a promising
and diverse cohort of pediatric investigators for career enhancement and mentored research in rare diseases
caused by congenital and perinatal infections; 2) expand the formal training of nascent investigators in
research methodology, rigorous study design and scientific writing, all skills that are crucial to successful
investigation and dissemination of findings in collaboration with UAB's NCATS-funded Center for Clinical and
Translational Science (CCTS); and 3) stimulate experiential learning via the development of externships or
“mini-sabbaticals” within the CPIC, including industry and community stakeholder partners. Externships across
the CPIC will expand and foster increased collaborations and interactions between consortium institutions in a
way that contributes to outstanding science and further growth of our research base.
Led by Michael J. Mugavero, MD, MHSc, the Career Enhancement Oversight Committee will select fellows
and early stage investigators as Research Scholars. These Scholars will receive training in a variety of skills
including: 1) the regulatory and ethical requirements of research; special topics specific to rare diseases and
CPIC-specific research such as pharmacometrics, 2) an understanding of stakeholder perspective and the
communication of scientific results in appropriate formats for different audiences, and methodological issues
related to study design and implementation; 3) core competencies of clinical and translational science,
including clinical trials considerations as well as grant writing and dissemination of results; and 4) skills needed
to review and critique published rare diseases research. In addition to this foundational training, Research
Scholars will also receive experiential, mentored research training by Program Faculty.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10001435
- **Project number:** 5U54AI150225-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL J MUGAVERO
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $64,069
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10001435

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10001435, Career Enhancement Core (5U54AI150225-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10001435. Licensed CC0.

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