Utah StARR Training Curriculum

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    • Career Mentoring - Each scholar is asked to engage in a period of self-reflection to determine professional priorities and goals. Scholars will review progress on this activity in their periodic meeting with their scientific mentoring team. Scholars are provided with tools to direct self-reflection, including a career strategic planning tool. Senior Mentoring will be implemented by matching each StARR scholar with a senior mentor with track record of NIH grant funding based on recommendations from the scholar’s department chair and/or division director and interviewed by the Drs. Okuyemi and Conroy.
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    • Individual Development Plan (IDP) - Each Utah StARR scholar will complete an IDP within the first three months of being admitted into the program. They will be provided an IDP template that is being used by other training programs for early-career scientists. Each scholar will work with their mentoring team, their program directors, department chairs, and Drs. Okuyemi and Conroy in an iterative process to develop their IDP.
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    • Non-degree coursework - The Utah StARR resident-investigators who do not have documented evidence of formal research coursework such as a Masters or Ph.D. degree in relevant areas will be encouraged to enroll as non-degree seeking students in the UofU Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) courses.
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    • Research Seminars - StARR scholars are expected to participate in a number of ongoing research seminars within the UofU that are open to postdocs and faculty in the institution with a focus on early-career investigators.
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    • Grant Writing - Scholars will be required to pursue grant writing in one or more of the forms available at the UofU. Options include courses such as +MDCRC 6450, a semester-long course, in which all students write, critique, and revised a complete NIH grant.
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    • Pre-submission Grant Review - The Utah StARR program will provide its scholars with the opportunity to have their grants reviewed prior to submission. Scholars will be required to submit an “Intent for Application Review” letter to the StARR program coordinator at least two months to their grant submission deadline. The program coordinator will then work with the scholar and suggested reviewers to schedule a review date. Scholars will be required to submit their full grant application at least four weeks before application due date and reviewers will be given assigned application at least three weeks prior to the review date.
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    • Pre-award Support - All Utah StARR scholars will receive pre-award support from pre-award staff in the Office of Vice President for Research who are dedicated to providing pre-award support for training grants. The team is led by Ms. Erin Wachs who has 14 years of experience in the pre-award arena. Study design and biostatistics consultation will be made available at no cost to the scholars’ research or training budget through the Study Design and Biostatistics Center of the Utah CCTS.
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    • Writing Workshops - Scholars will participate in writing groups and present one of their manuscripts or grants that is in progress to elicit feedback and maintain steady progress on their writing goals. We have found that regular writing workshops promote steady progress and accountability for busy physician-researchers and thereby increase academic productivity for trainees.