# NRSA Training Core

> **NIH NIH TL1** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2020 · $709,686

## Abstract

Contact PD/PI: McPherson, David D. NRSA-Training-001 (011)
This TL1 Training Core, a part of Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) CTSA application, will
provide 11 predoctoral PhD or MD/PhD students and 4 postdoctoral fellows annually with high-level and
effective training in translational science. The major goal of this program is to provide high-level and effective
training that promotes leadership in the translational sciences. TL1 trainees complete a competency-based
training program that delivers a foundational understanding of the translational sciences as well as training in
essential enrichment areas of career and professional development, including team science, leadership,
entrepreneurship, and big data informatics/analytics. This training, with support for up to 2 years, promotes
leadership in the translational sciences and contributes to workforce development of this field. Predoctoral
trainees are appointed from the diverse student body of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center (UT MDACC) UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (UT-GSBS), a graduate school jointly
administered and shared by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) and UT
MDACC. Postdoctoral trainees are appointed from both UTHSC-H and UT MDACC. This unique collaborative
training environment is located in the Texas Medical Center, an extensive, world-class concentration of
biomedical research and healthcare delivery. UT-GSBS students are admitted through an umbrella program
where they receive fundamental knowledge in the biomedical sciences before branching out into discipline-
specific programs offering in-depth research training. However, these discipline-specific programs do not
provide a structured opportunity for trainees to gain knowledge and enrichment across the spectrum of
translational sciences. This TL1 Training Core is focused on addressing this unmet need. Likewise, this
program will provide postdoctoral fellows specialized training in translational sciences. TL1 trainees are
selected by a competitive process that identifies promising individuals who show serious interest in
translational research, have outstanding performance in coursework, and are mentored by faculty fully aware
of the translational mission of the TL1 Core. Trainees are required to take courses and participate in
enrichment activities that fulfill 11 targeted competencies that prepare them to rapidly integrate their skills into
the clinical and translational sciences workforce. Extensive resources in the translational sciences, available
through the CCTS, UTHSC-H, UT MDACC, and the Texas Regional CTSA Consortium, allow trainees to
formulate personalized training programs that fit their research and career goals. All mentors are required to
take Mentoring Works! Training to help align training and career development. Trainees who complete this
program will have obtained specific skills to assist them in conducting collabora...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9983232
- **Project number:** 5TL1TR003169-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael R Blackburn
- **Activity code:** TL1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $709,686
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-24 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9983232

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9983232, NRSA Training Core (5TL1TR003169-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9983232. Licensed CC0.

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