# Reproductive Scientist Development Program (RSDP)

> **NIH NIH K12** · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA · 2020 · $987,994

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This is a competitive renewal application for continued support for the Reproductive Scientist Development
Program (RSDP), a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research career development program for
obstetrician-gynecologists in cell and molecular biology and related fundamental sciences. The objective of this
program is to educate obstetrician-gynecologists in contemporary basic science research related to
reproductive medicine and biology in order to prepare them for research careers in academic medicine. The
overall goal is to help ensure that academic obstetrics and gynecology fulfills its mission to increase research
and discovery in the reproductive sciences. Outstanding MD/PhD, PhD, and MD scientists with broad
research experience serve as faculty mentors.
A unique feature of this program is that outstanding individuals, upon completing a residency in obstetrics
and gynecology, and in many cases two or three years of clinical subspecialty fellowship, spend two years
(Phase I) in fundamental science research laboratories under the supervision and mentorship of experienced,
highly regarded accomplished scientists. During Phase I, Scholars are dedicated to full-time research with no
clinical obligations. Following this experience, Scholars spend an additional two-year period establishing their
research program in a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Phase II). Here, the Scholar serves as a
junior faculty member with at least 75% time devoted to developing an independent research career. For the
past five (5) years salary support for scholars has been provided by NICHD, while support for research related
expenses has been provided from the various non-federal agencies who contribute to the RSDP program.
This funding mechanism will continue, and, NIH funding will support up to 2 Scholars for the
duration of Phase I and Phase II. This program will continue to educate young physician scientists in
Obstetrics and Gynecology and replenish the pipeline of reproductive scientists. The RSDP has a rich
history of accomplishing this goal already and is committed to continuing its objective of producing the next
leaders of our academic departments.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10014627
- **Project number:** 5K12HD000849-34
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Danny J Schust
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $987,994
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1988-09-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10014627

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10014627, Reproductive Scientist Development Program (RSDP) (5K12HD000849-34). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10014627. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*