Mentoring Programs for Young Investigators:

Providing a welcoming and supportive environment of compliance for junior faculty

Michelle GranaAdministrative Director, Buehler Center on Aging, Health & SocietyAdministrator, Division of General Internal Medicine and GeriatricsNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Venita LoweDepartment AdministratorResearch DepartmentCase Western Reserve University

Learning Objectives• Participants will learn the purpose of junior faculty

mentoring programs and how they have developed over time at research universities.

• Participants will learn specific examples of ways in which research administrators can contribute to the mentoring process for junior faculty.

• Participants will learn of the benefits of effective mentoring in research administration.

I. Background Michelle Grana

II. What can we (research admins) do?

A. Logistics Venita Lowe

B. Identifying Funding Michelle Grana

C. Building Skills Venita Lowe

III. Benefits Michelle Grana

• BACKGROUND– Needs Assessment

• 2006 National Study (Doores & Guidos) reveals 53% of faculty hired at research universities became tenured, while 42% resigned before reaching the point where a tenure decision was to be made.

– Response• Many universities took

notice of this trend and began to establish formalized faculty mentoring programs and requirements.

Formalized Mentoring Program were established across many US Universities

• University of Maryland• Harvard School of Public

Health• University of Washington,

Seattle• Penn State (evaluated

2006)• Emory University• University of California –

San Diego

• Stanford University• University of Wisconsin• University of Oregon• University of Michigan,

College of Literature, Science & Arts

• CUNY Hunter College• Yale University• University of Minnesota

– Commonalities• Evaluative Mentoring

» Clear benchmarks and guidelines for career success» Feedback about mentees success in achieving those

benchmarks• Developmental Mentoring

» Socialization into scholarly community• Logistical information• Skills building• Professional relationships

• Short-term goals & long-term goals

• What can we (Research Administrators) do?– Developmental Mentoring

• Provide logistical information on:– key contacts and administrative processes–regulatory requirements–funding opportunities for career

development

• What can we (Research Administrators) do?– Developmental Mentoring

• Assist in skills building:– Guidance on the life cycle of a grant – Guidance on PI roles and responsibilities

• LOGISTICAL INFORMATION• List of key contacts in research administration process

–Local and Institutional Offices for:»Pre-award administration

• OSPA provides assistance

»Post-award administration• OSPA provides grant monitoring services

– Role of the Department Administrator

• LOGISTICAL INFORMATION• List of key contacts in research administration process

– Institutional Review Board»Training in protection of human subjects»Training in responsible conduct of research

• CWRU CREC Program provides training• Investigators must meet CREC requirements

for IRB approval• 12 points over 3 years

• LOGISTICAL INFORMATION• List of key contacts in research administration process

– Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee»CWRU SOM – IACUC coordinator and staff»Regulated through AAALAC and USDA

–Conflict of Interest»CWRU Conflict of Interest Committee»Outside Financial Interest Disclosure Form

• Identify Funding Opportunities– Career Awards

» NIH K-award Kiosk» Non-federal career awards

• American Cancer Society• American Heart Association• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation• National Palliative Care Research Center• Others…

– Limited opportunities for young investigators » Institutional research development office

K Kiosk - Information about NIH Career Development Awards: grants.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentawards

• Institute and Center specific information with links to appropriate websites

Career Award Wizard: grants.nih.gov/training/kwizard/index

• Designed to help your faculty identify the most appropriate Individual NIH Career Award

The K Award Conundrum

+ Protects at least 75% junior faculty time for research

+ Secures institutional commitment to faculty’s research career

+ Traditional pathway for independent research funding

+ Effort on other grants can sometimes be “subsumed” in K effort;

- Limits opportunities for expanding research experience during period of K- Unpaid commitment on another NIH grant in the same field of

study (approved by the sponsor); salary paid by the K - During last 2 years of K, may be PI on a NIH project (with approval)

- Provides minimal research support (usually ~$25K)- May involve significant cost sharing for higher paid clinical

faculty (salary typically capped at $100K for minimum 75% effort commitment)

- 75% commitment removes faculty from other obligations (clinical, education, administrative)

The K Award Conundrum

• SKILLS BUILDING•Training in the life cycle of a grant

–When to submit an application» Office of Grants and Contracts» 2 weeks before the agency deadline

–When to notify research administrator» ASAP when questions arise

–When to submit IRB, JIT documents, etc.» IRB – prior to recruitment of study participants» Just-in-Time – submitted through ERA Commons

• Assistance from Office of Grants and Contracts

• Roles and Responsibilities: Investigator

–What should the investigator provide to research administrators

»Pre-award • Completed grant application

»Post-award• Monthly synopsis, extension

requests, effort reports, and budget revisions

• Roles and Responsibilities: Research Administrator

–What can the investigator expect from research administrators

»Pre-award• Funding, forms, contracts, and

modifying grant account»Post-award

• Expense monitoring – daily or weekly basis

• BENEFITS– Junior faculty are more prepared to identify and

successfully apply for funding.

– Junior faculty are more prepared to understand and adhere to regulatory compliance requirements for research activities.

ReferencesDooris MJ & Guidos M. (2006) Tenure achievement rates at research universities. Chicago, IL: Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research.Mullen C. (1999) Re-Imagining the Human Dimension of Mentoring: A Framework for Research Administration and the Academy. Journal of Research Administration. Vol. XL(1).Thorndyke L, Gusic M, George J, Quillen D, Milner R. (2006) Empowering Junior Faculty: Penn State’s Faculty Development and Mentoring Program. Academic Medicine. Vol. 81(7).Palepu A, Friedman R, Barnett R, Carr P, Ash A, Szalacha L, Moskowitz M. (1998) Junior Faculty Members’ Mentoring Relationships and Their Professional Development in U.S. Medical Schools. Academic Medicine, Vol. 73(3)Mentoring of Junior Faculty, a Guide for Mentors (and Mentees). From the Strategic Plan for the University of Maryland (2008). Adapted from Popper A. (2007), Mentoring of Junior Faculty, a Guide for Mentors (and Mentees) in the College of Chemical and Life Sciences. 2008, http://www.umd.edu/faculty/Mentoring.pdf