# Molecular Basis of Pediatric Disease

> **NIH NIH K12** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $230,835

## Abstract

This proposal requests continued Child Health Research Career Development Award (CHRCDA)
support for the Molecular Basis of Pediatric Disease Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh and
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC (CHP). The primary goal of the Molecular Basis of Pediatric Disease
Training Program is to identify, mentor, and foster the careers of future leaders in pediatric research who are
dedicated to improving child health through discovery. The program offers a 1- to 3-year experience for three
scholars per year focused on training in cell and molecular biology research relevant to child health. The
training experience is designed to allow scholars to establish careers as independent, NIH-funded pediatric
physician-scientists. The mentoring faculty includes 26 outstanding basic investigators who have a
distinguished record of research contributions and mentoring. The emphasis of the mentoring experience is on
the fundamentals of scientific inquiry combined with the highest standards of excellence for rigor and integrity.
Each scholar is expected to conduct an innovative research project in the laboratory of one of the faculty
mentors leading to publications and applications for individual NIH K or R01 grants. The Department of
Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh has one of the fastest growing pediatric research programs in the
country and is housed on the CHP campus along with the new 300,000-square-foot CHP Rangos Research
Center. We have appointed 28 scholars to the CHRCDA program at the University of Pittsburgh since its
establishment in 1992; 27 have completed training. We also use departmental resources to provide additional
positions for pediatric physician-scientists, who are called CHP scholars and afforded training opportunities
identical to those of the CHRCDA scholars. We have appointed 16 CHP scholars to date; all have completed
training. The outcomes of our CHRCDA and CHP scholars are outstanding. Of the 43 program graduates, 28
(65.1%) have transitioned to K02, K08, K23, K99, or R01 funding. Of the 29 graduates who completed program
support at least 5 years ago, 14 (48.3%) have transitioned from K grants to R01 grants. Of the 43 program
graduates, 25 (58.1%) are currently in lab-based, investigative careers with either active NIH funding or
applying for NIH awards. One of the graduates is a department chair, six are division directors, and seven are
full professors. These outcomes provide confidence that the Molecular Basis of Pediatric Disease Training
Program selects talented trainees, provides a powerful team of mentors, and offers an intellectually stimulating
environment that will inspire junior faculty in pediatric subspecialties and provide them with the experience and
training to become leaders in child health research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9825548
- **Project number:** 5K12HD052892-13
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** TERENCE S. DERMODY
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $230,835
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-02-10 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9825548

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9825548, Molecular Basis of Pediatric Disease (5K12HD052892-13). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9825548. Licensed CC0.

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