# Vanderbilt SCHolars in HIV and Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep ReSearch (V-SCHoLARS, K12)

> **NIH NIH K12** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $400,052

## Abstract

With effective combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV/AIDS are living longer, but this
success is tempered by rising rates of cardiopulmonary, hematologic, and sleep (HLBS) comorbidities in the
HIV population. Vanderbilt University’s location in the Southeastern United States places it in the region with
the highest rates incident HIV infection and cardiopulmonary disease. For these reasons, this application seeks
to establish the Vanderbilt SCholars in HIV and Heart, Lung, Blood, And Sleep ReSearch (V-SCHoLARS, K12)
program to train and mentor the next generation of HIV HLBS researchers with expertise in domains ranging
from basic science to large population studies. We propose to support 5 junior faculty V-SCHoLARS who have
completed an MD or PhD in the health sciences at a level of 75% effort for 2 years. Vanderbilt has a rich
research environment and highly successful history of developing the careers of research scientists. Vanderbilt
scholars in career development programs have an 84% success rate for extramural funding and a 70% K to R
or R-equivalent conversion rate. Our proposed program, aided by Vanderbilt’s Office for Diversity Affairs, will
recruit from a diverse pool of talented applicants through Vanderbilt's existing T32 grants; clinical/research
fellowships in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematology, and sleep medicine; the VA Quality Scholars
Fellowship; and Meharry Medical College. Scholars will have access to 33 established NIH-funded mentors
with expertise in HIV/infectious disease, cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematology, or sleep medicine who have a
demonstrated track record of mentoring early career scholars, as well as 14 topic experts in the fields of basic
science, clinical trials/translational research, population/epidemiology, health services/operational research,
and biostatistics and bioinformatics. The program will have 4 major components: (1) formal mentoring (each
scholar will have a paired HIV and an HLBS mentor), 2) didactic education that includes an opportunity to
obtain a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, 3) guaranteed protected time, and 4) a mentored research
project that will be submitted as part of career development grant in year two. Each Scholar will have an
individualized development plan with milestones tailored to their scientific background, training needs, and
career goals. Scholars will have access to institutional resources including the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical
and Translational Research, the Tennessee Center for AIDS Research, existing cohort data (e.g., Veterans
Aging Cohort Study), biostatistical support, 50 research cores, and BioVu, one of the world’s largest clinically
linked biobanks. Scholars will also be supported by a range of career development resources: interdisciplinary
expert consultant studios to vet scientific ideas, aims, and research designs; a K08/K23/R01 funded grant
library; grant workshops; work-in-progress sessions; and research ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9972952
- **Project number:** 5K12HL143956-03
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** MATTHEW S FREIBERG
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $400,052
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9972952

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9972952, Vanderbilt SCHolars in HIV and Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep ReSearch (V-SCHoLARS, K12) (5K12HL143956-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9972952. Licensed CC0.

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