ABSTRACT – PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORE Primary goals of the Delaware CTR ACCEL program include facilitating clinical and translational research (CTR) across disciplines and increasing faculty competitiveness for research funding. The ACCEL PDC has sought to reach, connect, and support clinician scientists and junior faculty as they pursue their first grants in- cluding pass-through funding (e.g., an ACCEL or other IDeA program pilot award) or external funds (e.g., K award, COBRE target project, foundation grant, or R grant). The ACCEL-CTR Professional Development Core (PDC) was established to support the development of CTR investigators. The PDC has established successful programs, including Mentored Research Development Awards (MRDA), sponsorship of a statewide Junior In- vestigators’ Network (JIN), and collaborations with the DE IDeA States Clinical Trials Network and the DE IN- BRE. In ACCEL3, we enhance our existing programs and add three key programs: (i) integrated mentor train- ing to support emerging investigators, expand our base of clinical research mentors, deploy best practices, and assure diversity, equity, and inclusion; (ii) tools to help novice investigators identify and navigate regulatory re- quirements, administrative processes, and resources for clinical studies; (iii) a more organized and self-suffi- cient JIN to enhance peer support and collaborative program development. The PDC in ACCEL3 has three Specific Aims. Aim 1: Provide integrated mentor training and support programs. The PDC will provide re- sources and training, and “Mentor Champions” will be installed at ACCEL institutions to support local mentors, support the engagement of faculty with ACCEL, and assure diversity and inclusion among ACCEL faculty. Aim 2: Implement a Pathways to Success program. Resources to overcome common barriers to clinical research will be deployed as self-guided tools detailing processes relevant to ACCEL faculty and providing coaching in areas of need. Aim 3: Develop peer subgroups within our JIN. The PDC will work with the JIN to identify spe- cial interest subgroups, especially groups of underrepresented faculty, and to provide peer programs and edu- cational resources. Aim 4: Strengthen existing programs to further increase competitiveness for external fund- ing. Existing PDC programs designed to help faculty develop strong grant submissions will be enhanced to provide targeted support. The PDC is led by Robert Akins and an accomplished team with representatives from multiple disciplines across ACCEL. Execution of PDC aims will advance the professional development of ACCEL investigators, increase competitiveness for external funding, and support a more effective clinical and translational research mentoring that fully embraces precepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion across ACCEL. Page 1 of 1