Faculty Instructor - Full-Time - Pediatrics

CHP SCHOLARS/K12 Program Request for Applications for 7/2024 – 6/2025
Introduction:
The goal of the CHP Scholars/K12 Program is to support early-stage faculty members with additional training
to ultimately become independent physician-scientists. Subspecialty senior fellows in their last year of training
and faculty members within the first year of appointment (MD or MD/PhD) are encouraged to apply. CHP
Scholar/K12 awardees will continue mentored research with the goal of securing extramural funding (e.g., NIH-sponsored K-series career development awards or R-series research awards). All types of biomedical research
can be supported by this program, including laboratory science, clinical/patient-oriented science, translational
studies, health services research, and multidisciplinary research, including bioinformatics. Awardees will be
provided with salary and financial support to continue their research endeavors for one to two years. Academic
enrichment for awardees includes formal instruction in grant writing, career development, research mentoring,
and the opportunity to present their research within UPMC CHP research forums (e.g., the Pediatric Discovery
Day Annual Symposium).
Applications should be written in sufficiently general terms to allow reviewers who do not have in-depth content
expertise to adequately evaluate the merits of the research plan. As such, the use of jargon and acronyms
should be minimized or avoided.
Application Instructions:
1. Eligibility:
a) The applicant must be completing the final year of fellowship training in the Department of Pediatrics
(DOP) or must be a junior faculty member in the DOP within the first year of appointment.
b) While the NIH K12 award is restricted to laboratory-based research and those who are U.S. citizens or
permanent residents, those restrictions do not apply to CHP Scholar awards.
2. Supporting Documentation:
a) Applicant's cover letter that includes the title of the proposal.
b) Nominating letter from the division director (on letterhead) describing the strengths of the applicant and
the applicant’s potential to become an independently funded physician-scientist (two-page limit).
c) Reference letter from the research mentor (on letterhead). The mentor letter should include their area
of research, their training track record, the training environment, and how the proposal can be
developed into a career award for independence (three-page limit). If the research mentor is the
division director, a single letter can be submitted (five-page limit).
d) Candidate’s NIH biosketch, which includes a personal statement that describes the candidate’s training
experience to date and their commitment to a career as a physician-scientist.
e) Mentor or mentor NIH biosketch
3. Research Plan (one-inch margins, Times New Roman or Arial 11-point font):
a) Summary (250-word limit)
b) Specific Aims (one-page limit)
c) Research Strategy (three-page limit) including Significance, Innovation, and Approach
i. Significance
1. Explain the importance of the problem or critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed
project addresses.
2. Explain how the proposed project will improve scientific knowledge, technical capability, or
clinical practice in one or more broad fields.
3. Describe how the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative
interventions that drive this field will be changed if the proposed aims are achieved.
Revised 07/17/23
ii. Innovation
1. Explain how the application challenges and seeks to shift current research or clinical practice
paradigms.
2. Describe any new theoretical concepts, approaches, methodologies, instrumentation, or
interventions to be developed or used, and any advantage over existing methodologies,
instrumentation, or interventions.
3. Explain any refinements, improvements, or new applications of theoretical concepts,
approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions.
iii. Approach
1. Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific
aims of the project. Include how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted as well as
any resource sharing plans as appropriate.
2. Discuss potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success anticipated to
achieve the aims.
3. If the project is in the early stages of development, describe any strategy to establish feasibility,
and address the management of any high-risk aspects of the proposed work.
4. Point out any procedures, situations, or materials that may be hazardous to personnel and
precautions to be exercised.
d) Career Development Plan (two-page limit)
i. Describe the professional responsibilities and activities, including other research projects beyond
the minimum required commitment (10 person-months or 85% full-time professional effort) to the
Career Development Award. Explain how these responsibilities and activities will help ensure career
progression to an independent research investigator, including (1) didactic (if any) and research
components and (2) relevant research and educational resources of the institution. The didactic and
research components must be designed to develop the necessary knowledge and research skills in
scientific areas relevant to the candidate’s career goals.
ii. Describe the mentor’s role in the career development plan. If more than one mentor is proposed
(e.g., a primary mentor and co-mentor), their respective areas of expertise and responsibility should
be described.
iii. A timeline including a publication plan and expectation for outside funding (K-award or another
award) should be provided.
iv. Composition of an advisory committee to assist with the development of the program of study and
to monitor the candidate’s progress during the career development program. Specific details of how
often the committee and trainee meet and timelines and milestones are required.
v. Plan for training in the responsible conduct of research.
4. Budget:
a) Salary support (up to $100,000 including fringe), travel support (up to $1,000), and research support
(up to $24,000) per year can be requested.
b) An additional year of funding is potentially available and will be determined based on the progress
made in the first year (a progress report will be due approximately nine months into the first year of the
award). K12 awardees can only be funded for a single year. If K12 awardees are offered a second year
of support, they will transition to CHP Scholars. (Overall financial support for K12 and CHP Scholars is
identical.)
c) A budget justification is required.
Application review information:
The selection committee will be composed of the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, the CHP Scholars
Program steering committee, and ad hoc experts from the University of Pittsburgh when needed. Selection
committee members will score each application using the 1-9 NIH scoring system. Review criteria for NIH Kawards
will be applied in the following categories: candidate, research plan, career development plan, and
mentor. Candidates with the most favorable scores will be selected to fill the available positions.
Revised 07/17/23
: Applications must be submitted to Becky Ceoffe as a single PDF (email: burkhartrl@upmc.edu).
If accepted into the program, scholars will receive a dual University of Pittsburgh – UPP appointment. This
arrangement includes:
A full-time appointment as an instructor in the appointment stream (non-tenure) with an annual salary based on
the subspecialty discipline with University and UPP benefits. The K12/CHP Scholar salary support ($100,000)
will be applied toward coverage of this salary.

See appended documentation

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