Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program

Research benefiting the health of children requires training a new generation of pediatrician physician-scientists prepared for independent careers in basic biomedical research. The collaborative research enterprise of Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is committed to meeting this need. The Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program (APSP) has provided crucial support to 18 scholars to date (15 previous and 3 current), enabling them to bridge the treacherous gap between completing a fellowship and obtaining independent funding. The APSP Scholars have been tremendously successful during and after the two grant cycles; the scholars have acquired a total of 77 awards as PI since the beginning of the program in 2012, including 9 NIH K grants, 16 other NIH grants, 25 University/Pilot awards, and 27 Foundation awards.

For this renewal application, we have expanded the training faculty to 41 basic science investigators, each with an active laboratory research program, with total extramural grant support of $51.3, $39.4M of that coming from NIH. We have also added a more focused career development curriculum and bolstered the recruitment and retention plan. Reflecting the program's multidisciplinary approach,11 prospective mentors are outside the Department of Pediatrics, including the Department of Biomedical Engineering, a joint department between Emory and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Robust fellowship programs in the Department of Pediatrics and continued recruitment of junior faculty provide a large pool of outstanding Scholar candidates.

The formal training curriculum is grounded in intensive laboratory research in areas of basic and translational science relevant to child health, mentored by experienced investigators, and supplemented by didactic coursework, career development training, and participation in scientific exchange. The scientific strengths and resources of the Emory academic enterprise bolster child health research across the institution to create an ideal environment for basic researcher career development, and valuable partnerships with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Georgia Tech continue to support recruitment and expansion of the research enterprise. The mentorship and structured supervision of the program propel APSP Scholars to organize their research around specific goals and to work towards publication and submission of extramural award applications. The program utilizes both formative and summative assessment, including a rigorous system for tracking and assessing progress, which we use to enhance the program.

The APSP is a vital component of a growing academic child health enterprise and is poised to provide outstanding career development for the next generation of leaders in child health research.

Grant Number: 5K12HD072245-14
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Shari Barkin