# Neely National Physician-Scientist Mentorship Network

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2024 · $206,730

## Abstract

The Neely National Clinician-Scientist Mentorship Network of the Triological Society was created to provide
career mentorship to young otolaryngologists interested in clinician-scientist careers with mentorship from
established, NIH-funded otolaryngologist-scientists. The goals of the program are to support the
development of otolaryngologists to become successful NIH-funded investigators, to strengthen the
research training pipeline, and to support diversity among otolaryngologist-scientists. The current proposal
details the activities of the Mentorship Network that will help mentees reach their goals. These activities
include three in-person and eight virtual meetings annually, one-on-one mentoring opportunities,
maintenance of a listserv, and mock grant reviews. In addition, the Network offers online, “just-in-time”
educational materials for clinical research. The Neely National Clinician-Scientist Mentorship Network
targets two pools of otolaryngology mentees. Mentees in the first pool have some research training
experience but have yet to submit their first PI NIH grants. These mentees may be otolaryngology
residents, fellows, or new faculty members. The second pool of mentees are those who have NIH funding
in the form of an introductory grant (typically a K08 or K23 grant) and are looking to convert that grant to an
R01 or similar independent award. Mentorship in the network is provided by a large cadre of successfully
funded otolaryngologist-scientists many of whom are members of the Triological Society. The Network
includes mentors whose research spans the breadth of NIDCD mission areas, including research in
hearing, balance, speech, olfaction, and health disparities, as well as other research areas related to
otolaryngology, such as cancer and immunology. The research techniques and foci employed by the
mentors are diverse and include basic discovery in animals, clinical research, health services, disparities,
and population-based research. The mentors come from varied backgrounds and institutions across the
country, and a significant strength of the proposal is the depth and breadth of the mentorship group. The
Network is led by two experienced clinician-scientists with help from an experienced executive committee.
Mentees from diverse backgrounds will be recruited through a website developed for the Network, through
direct outreach to otolaryngology departments, and through personal outreach by members of the Network.
Continuous evaluation of the program by mentors and mentees will be used to improve the program.
Outcome measures include the number of mentees participating, the retention of mentees throughout the
program, and the success of mentees in securing NIH grants. This network is unique in otolaryngology and
innovative in that there is no other national mentorship network for otolaryngologist-scientists.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10933646
- **Project number:** 1R25DC021131-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Shawn D. Newlands
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $206,730
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-15 → 2029-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10933646

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10933646, Neely National Physician-Scientist Mentorship Network (1R25DC021131-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10933646. Licensed CC0.

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