Mentored Research Project

I.  Information for K30 Scholars

1. Relationship to structured classroom and web-based curriculum
   The mentored research experience is the culmination of the curriculum. This is the way in which the trainees have an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills gained in the didactic program to the practical setting of designing clinical and translational research studies, shepherding them through the regulatory processes, and conducting, analyzing and disseminating the results of patient-oriented research projects. It is critical that the trainees have mentors who are capable of and dedicated to developing all necessary aspects of the ability of the trainees to become highly successful academic patient-oriented researchers.

2. Selection and Evaluation of Mentors
   The mentor is the key figure, whose commitment to and skills at developing the patient-oriented academic research careers of the trainees, are essential to the long-term success of the participants in the SPOR program. Trainees will be largely responsible for choosing their mentors, based on research interests, personal compatibility, ability to promote the career of the trainee, overall reputation, and other factors. However, all mentors will need to be judged as qualified by the Mentoring Committee of the SPOR Program Executive Committee. The qualification of a mentor will be based largely on his/her research record, peer-reviewed research funding, funding for investigator-initiated research projects, experience mentoring students and other trainees, commitment to future development of his/her teaching and mentoring skills, and assessment of his/her mentoring skills by prior trainees, colleagues, and department chair and/or center director. Frequently it is advantageous for the trainee to have more than one mentor, in order to receive optimal training and guidance in all aspects of the research project and career development (See Section II for Mentor Information).

3. Mentored Research Training
   The trainee and mentor(s) together decide on a primary project, which the trainee will take on as the principal investigator, under the supervision of the mentor(s). The USF IRB permits a fellow or resident to be PI of patient-oriented research projects, as long as he/she has an associated qualified supervisor, who certifies that he/she will provide the required supervision over the fellow or resident for that project. The mentor(s) will provide continuing supervision, critiquing, and advice throughout the process, from initial selection of project through writing of protocol, funding of protocol, regulatory review and approval, patient accrual, patient sample acquisition, therapy and monitoring for side effects and benefits (in therapeutic trials), data analysis, preparation and presentation of abstract and local seminars, and submission and revision of manuscript(s). The primary mentor(s) and trainee will meet at least twice a month to go over the research project and perform other aspects of mentoring and career advice.

4. Process and Forms for Research Credits
   For each semester that the Scholar enrolls for Directed Research, he/she must file a plan prior to the start of the semester that is signed by both the Scholar and the primary mentor (Form for Semester Research Proposal); and at the end of the semester, the primary mentor must submit a grade of Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) for the number of credits and also a written evaluation of the progress of the student (Form for Mentor Evaluation). The student also must submit a written Progress Report to the K30 Program Manager prior to the end of each semester, before a grade can be submitted (Form for Progress Report).

The ultimate goal of the “Mentored Research” is twofold:

1)     To obtain the Master’s degree, the student must submit a 1st author prepared manuscript on their own research project that has been published, has been accepted for publication, or at a minimum has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. If a submitted manuscript that has not yet been published or accepted for publication is judged “publishable” by the K30 Evaluation Committee, then that requirement for the degree is satisfied.

2)     The student’s research project should be applicable and fundable as the basis for an NIH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award or equivalent grant application that will be developed during the 2-semester, 3 credits, in Grantsmanship I and II in the 2nd Summer and Fall of the K30 SPOR Program:

II.  The Mentor: Roles and Guidelines

The mentor is an important key to a successful academic research career development experience. The mentor must take an active role by working closely with the mentee to define clearly not only an appropriate research project, but also a strong career development plan, providing guidance, training and support, and serving as a role model for the trainee. The mentor must be genuinely interested in the goals of the training and career development program, namely to: (1) encourage trainees to aspire to an academic career in basic, translational, or clinical research, and (2) provide trainees with a realistic understanding of the academic clinical and/or basic science research environment. The following description of the mentor’s role and guidelines for serving in that role are offered to provide assistance:

What does a superior research and career development mentor do?

• The mentor should be an accomplished investigator with a sustained record of competitive research funding and an active research program.
• The mentor must ensure frequent interaction with the trainee. Schedule regular meetings with the trainee to make sure that he/she understands all expectations and to monitor the progress toward his/her educational, research and career development goals.
• The mentor needs to be able to speak frankly with the trainee to address any potential problems and obstacles to progress at the earliest possible time and to work together with the trainee to put solutions into place earlier rather than later in the process.
• The mentor should assist the trainee in developing the research project and a career development plan that is consistent with the trainee’s goals.
• The mentor should prepare for the trainee’s arrival by clarifying the trainee’s research and role in the group with other personnel in the laboratory or clinical research unit.
• The mentor must provide a range of appropriate experiences for the trainee: laboratory and/or clinical research group meetings, departmental seminars, journal clubs, relevant didactic courses, etc.
• The mentor should constantly encourage and assist the trainee to write abstracts and give oral or poster presentations at regional, national, and international academic and scientific meetings.
• The mentor should encourage the trainee to prepare manuscripts reporting the results of his/her research in a timely manner and to submit the manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals for publication.
• The mentor should create opportunities to introduce the trainee to thought leaders and researchers at other institutions, for networking and development of relationships that could be invaluable to the trainee’s national and international visibility and career advancement.
• The mentor should provide assessment and constructive feedback, and document the trainee’s research progress and performance.
• Consequently, the research mentor must work in an environment with sufficient resources to offer trainees an enriching experience throughout his/her period of mentorship.

Each trainee and mentor should establish research training goals that include quality of performance and mastery of information and technical methods relevant to the research. Progress in achieving these goals should be reviewed regularly by the research mentor, the research committee, and the program director.

Guidelines for trainees:

• Set a weekly meeting time with your mentor to summarize your research, plan experiments for the next week, discuss problems encountered and potential solutions, and discuss concepts and other investigators’ recently published relevant research findings.
• Participate actively in research seminars, journal clubs, research group meetings and relevant formal courses.
• Submit abstracts for presentations at national and international meetings.
• Prepare and submit primary research and review-type publications to peer-reviewed journals for publication.
• Work toward continuous enhancement of your academic and research knowledge and skills, including:
  • Critical interpretation of scientific literature
  • Research methods, including design of hypothesis-driven research projects and proper interpretation of experimental findings
  • Data analysis and use of appropriate biostatistics and medical informatics
  • Creation and maintenance of research records
  • Informed consent and patient privacy regulations
  • Research ethics
  • Monitoring patient-oriented research (protocol, data management, quality control, clinical trials, FDA regulations, adverse event reporting, and dissemination of information)
  • Development of skills in interactions with other investigators and research-related personnel
  • Management of time and effort
  • Grant and manuscript writing, oral and poster abstract presentations, and other communication skills

Annual Evaluations:

Mentors and K30 Scholars will receive notification to complete an annual web-based evaluation of the mentor by the trainee and of the trainee’s progress by the mentor.