# NINDS Research Education Programs for Residents and Fellows in Neurosurgery

> **NIH NIH R25** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $78,885

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 The brain is the most frequent site of crippling and incurable human disease. Neurosurgeons are ideally
positioned to advance and translate neuroscience discoveries, but it is a stark minority that are able to build a
career as a physician-scientist successfully. Training programs, including our own, have been deficient in their
provision of three essential components to delivering neurosurgeon-scientists to the field: 1) Opportunity; 2)
Mentorship; 3) Continuity.
 We have examined the difficult truth of poor productivity from our prior R25 awardees, dissected our
failures, and designed new and innovative programmatic approaches, specifically molded to 1) expand
opportunities; 2) re-address mentorship; and 3) redefine entirely the look of sustained departmental
commitment to developing and maintaining neurosurgeon-scientists. Herein, we offer a fresh enthusiasm,
focus, and approach for addressing the problem of how to deliver and sustain neurosurgical research
contributions.
 The program proposed here provides a unique and organized approach to engage, support, and maintain
neurosurgery trainees in mentored research. Our hypothesis is that implementation of a formal physician-
scientist training track, coupled with a committee-based mentored research experience and an unprecedented
commitment to longitudinal support for trainees who secure funding will result in improved realization of
independently-funded academic careers for neurosurgeon-scientists. Toward that end, our Specific Aims are to
optimize/provide:
1. Opportunity. Our neurosurgery residency has been re-designed to include a Physician-Scientist Track
that proffers a weekly Academic Day during junior residency, a PhD-thesis style Research Mentorship
Committee, a core curriculum, a vetted and reviewed R25 application, mentored/supported research PGY
years 4-6, and a 7th “transition to practice” year that teaches trainees to divide time successfully between
clinical and research responsibilities.
2. Mentorship. Physician-Scientist Track residents will identify a primary research mentor from among 29
approved Duke faculty mentors grouped into 9 distinct Research Concentrations. A PhD-style Research
Mentorship Committee will be formed to mentor the resident throughout training.
3. Continuity. R25 recipients will receive matched funds from Neurosurgery to support their research
endeavors during the clinical years separating their R25 award in PGY4 from the PGY7 “transition to
practice” year.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9853428
- **Project number:** 2R25NS065731-11A1
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter Fecci
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $78,885
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2009-03-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9853428

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9853428, NINDS Research Education Programs for Residents and Fellows in Neurosurgery (2R25NS065731-11A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9853428. Licensed CC0.

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