# Enhanced Interdisciplinary Research Training Institute

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2020 · $269,689

## Abstract

Project Summary
This resubmission application requests support of the enhanced Interdisciplinary Research Training
Institute (eIRTI) that will implement a research education program aimed at strengthening the research
pipeline by enhancing and increasing the number of independently funded Hispanic investigators that have
gone underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral and clinical drug and alcohol abuse and addiction
research. This program builds upon the nine years of a successfully developed research education program
(IRTI 5R25DA026401) aimed at promoting the career development of a broad range of career status
investigators interested in conducting drug research among the Hispanic population. The proposed eIRTI
is being enhanced to deliver a comprehensive and coordinated effort focused on providing research
experience and increasing the skills required for the preparation and submission of competitive research
applications for NIH extramural funding. The specific aims of the eIRTI are to: 1) Provide an educational
training opportunity to enhance the research experiences and skills for conducting Hispanic substance
abuse research and developing applications for NIH funding among 6 pre-doctoral, postdoctoral and early
career investigators per year with the implementation of an intensive summer research training program;
2) Execute a mentoring plan (Tri-Mentoring) structured around a team of interdisciplinary senior faculty
mentors and IRTI alumni peer mentors who would be accessible and available to provide selected fellows
with focused mentoring and continued support; and provide a networking structure and process that will
assist fellows in building and maintaining relationships and communication with leading experts in the field
of Hispanic substance abuse research and fellow peers. Mentoring activities will focus on guiding and
assisting the fellows in achieving benchmarks including: a) NIH research funding; b) academic career
progress; c) scientific publications and presentations. These outcomes will be facilitated through various
types of support provided by the eIRTI including: Mentor Commitment, Travel to Mentor Institution, eIRTI
Mentoring Annual Meeting, Conferences/Workshops, and E-Mentoring Technologies (Zoom). The eIRTI is
incorporating several programmatic innovations including the addition of a peer network component using
our large pool of IRTI alumni and the opportunity for our participating mentors to participate in
professional development workshops for mentorship. The complex and technical nature of contemporary
drug and alcohol abuse and addiction research requires that competitive NIH investigators develop a broad-
based set of scientific knowledge and scientific research skills that will facilitate the preparation and
implementation of competitive NIH research. The eIRTI is well positioned to provide an enriched
environment driven by a “culture of mentorship” that has a clear organizing structure as well as mechanisms
to ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10018273
- **Project number:** 1R25DA050687-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Avelardo Valdez
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $269,689
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10018273

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10018273, Enhanced Interdisciplinary Research Training Institute (1R25DA050687-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10018273. Licensed CC0.

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