# Institutional Career Development Core

> **NIH NIH KL2** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $799,945

## Abstract

The goal of the Vanderbilt-Meharry Translational Nexus is to inspire careers dedicated to interdisciplinary
translational science and to produce leaders in the field who are optimally prepared to guide and participate in
ground-breaking transdisciplinary teams. We are building on a tradition of excellence in supporting early career
scholars as they launch their careers. Among prior KL2 awardees, 84% achieved extramural federal funding,
half moving to individual K awards and the other half directly to R01, U01 and VA Merit awards. Their careers
are thriving and we are dedicated to continuing to develop the scientific and scholarly skills of a diverse group
of clinical translational research faculty. Current and prior awardees represent more than a dozen disciplines
and as many clinical backgrounds including anesthesiology, chemistry, emergency medicine, hearing and
speech, medicine, nursing, pediatrics, and thoracic surgery, with nearly even numbers of clinically trained and
PhD-prepared scientists. We serve eight trainees (4 grant and 4 internally funded) and design program
elements for the explicit purpose of connecting, enlarging, and sustaining our community of translational
scientists. Translational Nexus Scholars are grounded in the fundamentals of translational research, prepared
to lead independent research programs, trained to effectively deploy innovative interdisciplinary approaches to
attack and solve problems, and committed to pursuing research that taps into the power of teams for driving
breakthroughs. Scholars are selected by competitive review of applications from early career faculty. Training
is tailored to the individual investigator in the context of structured interdisciplinary mentorship and is overseen
by the PI (Hartmann) and Co-Director (Stein). Program resources are further enhanced by myriad institutional
resources that ensure our researchers flourish. In this proposal we introduce individualized Pathways that
combine didactic, intensive, and experiential learning to consolidate competencies in six areas: Biostatistics
and Epidemiology, Data Sciences, Measurement Methods, Clinical Context (for non-clinical trainees),
Technology Transfer and Innovation, and Community Engagement. Scholars form a mentor panel, participate
in regular work-in-progress presentations and seminars, receive formal evaluation each year, attend twice-monthly
career development activities with other K-awardees, and are regularly exposed to case studies on
responsible conduct of research. Scholars have access to: 1) an array of core labs and resources; 2)
biostatistics consultations; 3) manuscript preparation work groups; 4) technical editing of completed products;
5) studios with experts to vet scientific ideas, research designs, and aims; 6) robust intramural cores for pilot
work and feasibility funding; and 7) grant writing support including grant workshops, a funded grant library, and
mock study sections. Tools are in place to evaluate both scho...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9878151
- **Project number:** 5KL2TR002245-04
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** KATHERINE E HARTMANN
- **Activity code:** KL2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $799,945
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-06-01 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9878151

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9878151, Institutional Career Development Core (5KL2TR002245-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9878151. Licensed CC0.

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