West Virginia University Stimulating Access to Research in Residency

About This Grant

ABSTRACT The need for innovative health solutions in West Virginia (WV) is urgent. WV has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, is the only state located entirely within Appalachia, and its residents have among the poorest acute and chronic health outcomes in heart, lung, and blood diseases and disorders. The predominantly rural population provides unique opportunities for crucial health-related research but has been short-changed by historic low inclusion in clinical research studies. The Mountaineer Stimulating Access to Research (Mountaineer StARR) program will catalyze the career development of clinician-investigators through new research opportunities created, organized, and delivered to medical residents via robust didactic offerings and mentored research training. The overarching goal is to reduce the burden of health disparities among West Virginians by growing the next generation of clinician-investigators. Selected medical residents will have an opportunity to extend their residency training to include a 15-month intensive research experience with 80% protected time for research training and data collection. In addition, StARR Resident-Investigators will simultaneously earn a Master of Science (MS) in Clinical and Translational Sciences (CTS) offered by the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI). Collaborations with other established research engagement and training programs at West Virginia University (WVU) will support the aims of this program by leveraging existing resources and services to create synergy for clinician-investigators. The focus will be on recruitment, retention, and accelerating research independence for Resident-Investigators. The WVU Health Sciences Center currently offers residents opportunities for elective research and pursuit of a MS CTS; however, substantial protected time for research is not available. The 4-year long research-intensive Mountaineer StARR program will bridge this resource gap and attract and prepare residents to become clinician-investigators. The selected R38 Resident- Investigators will have access to a large pool of mentors who have strong records of accomplishment in mentoring early career stage clinician-investigators. Moreover, acceleration of research independence will be achieved by providing protected research time, experienced mentorship, didactic training in clinical and translational sciences, and formal grant writing support for submission of an NIH K38 Transition Scholar Award. In addition, the program aims to retain residents by providing them with a vibrant and growing research community that has an exceptional infrastructure for supporting the professional development of early-stage investigators. This sustained commitment to the development of clinician-investigators will enable WVU to “grow our own” research talent within WV. By empowering Resident-Investigators with the professional skills needed to conduct research in heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders, this program will be an important step forward in addressing the health disparities in the rural communities of WV, Appalachia and the nation.