Physician Scientist Initiatives

This program focuses on recruiting the brightest undergraduates to biomedical sciences by providing a well-defined research experience for post-baccalaureates that are contemplating a career in translational sciences.

To this end, we have established a collaboration with PIKE-PREP: Preparation in Interdisciplinary Knowledge to Excel – Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program. Through this collaboration, PIKE-PREP will expand their recruitment and curriculum to include post-baccalaureate students for up to 2 years to pursue research in translational research.

Applications will open November 1, 2022. Please visit the PIKE-PREP website for additional information on how to apply.

Through a partnership with the University of Colorado, Office of Medical Education, we will provide support, mentorship, and career development opportunities to Research Scholars interested in pursuing a career as a physician scientist. This partnership provides opportunities for medical students interested in research:

• Mentorship opportunities to supplement and expand upon that provided by the primary mentor
• Educational opportunities, including access to career development seminars and workshops 
• Community building, such as opportunities to discuss research with peers, senior medical students and fellows at social events including the MSTP, PSTP, and other trainees in the School of Medicine.
• Access to opportunities to present research
• Stipends to provide support for research and career development 

These opportunities allow more medical students on campus to be trained in research and provide more student training opportunities for our junior faculty on campus.  These offerings help fill the pipeline of potential physician scientists we can train and who may ultimately choose to seek faculty positions on our campus.

The overall goal of the Colorado StARR Program in Medicine and Pediatrics is to recruit, train, and retain outstanding clinician-investigators focused on translational research in heart, lung, and blood disorders. This career development training will be achieved through seamless integration with our ACGME-accredited Colorado Medicine, Pediatric, Medicine-Pediatrics, and Surgery housestaff training programs, a structured milestone-driven training program that includes individualized career development plans, pairing our resident-investigators with outstanding, dedicated mentors with extensive disease-specific research expertise and a wide array of cutting-edge approaches to research, and providing appropriate oversight of the mentor-mentee relationship.  Applications are being accepted now through October 30, 2023. Apply Here!

We also partner with the Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) to provide support, mentorship, training, and career development opportunities to enhance the experience of housestaff currently enrolled in PSTP.  The overall goal of the PSTP is to train academic leaders in medicine, pediatrics, and other clinical programs throughout the School of Medicine. This will be accomplished by attracting the most promising physician-scientists to our programs and providing them with outstanding clinical training while preparing them for a career in academic medicine.  While our program is broad, we are especially enthusiastic about attracting trainees pursuing careers in translational research (bench to bedside and bedside to bench). PSTP scholars are included in a community of physician-scientists (MSTP students, StARR scholars, and early physician-scientist faculty) who meet regularly to share related perspectives and experiences.

The Translational Research Scholars Program (TRSP) fosters translational research among our outstanding early career faculty in the School of Medicine. The School of Medicine, through this program, invests in the research and career development of each Scholar. The primary goal of this program is to facilitate successful early career faculty in pursuing new lines of exploration and to elevate and expand the scope of their translational research. This program is intended to help our most successful young faculty who have already demonstrated a high level of achievement substantially advance their careers in translational research.  Scholars meet with the Program Director Dr. David Schwartz and the TRSP co-director Dr. Sean Colgan on a monthly basis to discuss their research and consider opportunities for career development.

Next Application Cycle:

• Letter of intent due date: October 15, 2023
• Invitation to submit full application: November 1, 2023
• Full application due date (submit single, combined PDF): February 1, 2023
• LOIs will only be accepted through the following link: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/d2404bb85aed4dac9431dbfb877b81fe

The Program provides multiple opportunities to foster community building among physician scientists from all career stages on our campus. We host several regular events designed to foster community and build new relationships:

• Social events including the MSTP, PSTP, and other trainees in the School of Medicine
  
• Educational opportunities for medical students, housestaff, and junior faculty focusing on the scientific and operational aspects of research including seminars, town halls, and small group discussions. Past discussions have included career development topics such as mentorship, balancing clinical duties and research, grant proposal development, publication strategies, and navigating early career transitions in academic medicine. These meetings also include smaller group discussions in which students and trainees can ask questions and interact with faculty in an informal setting.