CTSI K Scholars Society

The K Scholars Society, managed by the UCLA CTSI’s KL2 Program, supports the career development of junior investigators building careers in clinical and translational research. This program is designed for scholars within the UCLA CTSI partner institutions who have current career developments awards from the National Institutes of Health (e.g. K01, K08, K23, K99/R00), or equivalent awards from other federal (e.g. DOD, VA) and non-federal (e.g. AHA, ACS, Doris Duke) funding agencies. The program has two-year curriculum activities:

  • Monthly meetings generally take place on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Ad hoc sessions are also scheduled as needed.
  • Monthly Didactic Seminars (1 hr): grant writing, communication, storytelling, presentation skills, team science, career strategy, entrepreneurship, mentorship, equity/diversity/inclusion, project management, and leadership trainings.
  • Monthly Work-in-Progress Sessions (1 hr): Investigators will have the opportunity to present their work in progress to a diverse group of scholars and faculty.
  • Priority for Grant Writing Studios: These are individually tailored to each scholar for longitudinal mentoring on NIH K and R grant submissions. Studios are comprised of a panel of 3-4 mentors (scientific, career and statistics) with expertise in K and/or R grant development. The panel meets with the scholar 2-3 times from the concept phase to final product. The scholar will then participate in a mock study section for a final review of the draft grant application.
  • NIH Mock Study Section. Investigators will have the opportunity to submit final drafts of their NIH grant applications for grantsmanship review by senior faculty and peer reviewers. These are designed to simulate an actual NIH study section and are held 3 times per year (January, May and September).

Program resources include professional grant writer consultations, scientific networking, and the fostering and nurturing of multidisciplinary collaborations. The K Scholar Society also offers a mentorship curriculum to junior faculty as they begin their mentoring career.

For more information, please visit the K Program webpage.

Last updated
January 31, 2024