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  7. U2C-TL1: Institutional Network Award for Promoting Kidney, Urologic, & Hematologic Research Training

U2C-TL1: Institutional Network Award for Promoting Kidney, Urologic, & Hematologic Research Training

The Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases (KUH) of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has reshaped and refocused Institutional Training Awards in creating the KUH Research Training Network (KUHR-TN). The KUHR-TN consists of individual Institutional Network Awards (U2C-TL1), which are designed to cultivate a highly integrated cohort of people and resources to propel KUH training and research. The U2C cooperative component coordinates and provides administrative support for the Institutional Network Award activities, while the TL1 training component allows the institution to recruit and fund at least 5 highly competitive pre- and/or post-doctoral trainees across K-, U-, and H-mission focused research. With coordinated support from an Administrative Core, each U2C-TL1 Award is expected to:

  • Enhance Career Preparation (U2C Professional Development Core). Promote interdisciplinary approaches to prepare trainees for the next step in their scientific careers by exposing them to perse and innovative technologies and critical research resources. Develop tailored and structured educational experiences, including specific training in professional development, leadership, entrepreneurship, and mentorship.
  • Increase Networking and Outreach (U2C Networking Core). Coordinate a vibrant and dynamic cohort of K, U, and H trainees, including those supported directly by the TL1 component of this award and those institutional trainees already supported by other NIH training mechanisms, such as Fellowships (Fs), Career Development Awards (Ks), Short-term Training Grants (T35s), and Education Program Grants (R25s). Support a robust mentoring environment, including active peer-to-peer and alumni networks.
  • Recruit and Train Interdisciplinary Researchers (TL1 Training Core). Fund highly talented trainees from demographically and scientifically perse backgrounds via the TL1 component of this award.

The U2C-TL1 at NIDDK

The application for an Institutional Network Award consists of two parts, which are linked at the time of application but separated at the time of award.  Each component maintains their own, separate budgets:

  • U2C Award: Cooperative mechanism that provides central coordination and resources to support professional development and trainee networking, as well as administrative support for these activities.
  • TL1 Award: Training mechanism to support the pre- and post-doctoral trainees.

Applying

Principal Investigators

Prospective principal investigators (PIs) are strongly encouraged to contact the NIDDK Program Staff listed below to discuss potential U2C-TL1 applications.  Prospective PIs should be active investigators in the scientific area relevant to the mission of NIDDK/KUH and capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership to the development and implementation of the proposed program. The PI will be responsible for the selection and appointment of trainees to the approved research training program, and for the overall direction, management, administration, and evaluation of the program. The PI will be expected to monitor and assess the program and submit all documents and reports as required.

The NIDDK encourages multiple PIs, particularly when each brings a unique perspective and skill set that will enhance the training program. At least one of the multiple investigators should be an investigator with an active research program in basic, translational, or clinical science aligned with the mission of KUH, capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership to the development and implementation of the proposed program. Additional principal investigators, including inpiduals with experience in areas such as science education, program evaluation, mentoring, and career development and advancement for early-career scientists, may be included to achieve the training goals.

In keeping with the effort to enhance the involvement of inpiduals from perse backgrounds and perspectives in training, and in providing role models that bring persity to a training environment, it is strongly encouraged that institutions include women and/or inpiduals from perse backgrounds when forming the leadership team of the program. 

Prospective Trainees

The TL1 portion of the U2C-TL1 supports trainees at the pre-doctoral and post-doctoral career stages.  To inquire about a potential appointment to a TL1, please contact the TL1 contact listed for the site where you are interested in receiving training.

Current U2C-TL1 funded programs within the KUHR-TN

Program Institution Additional Participating Institutions Contact PIs (U2C-TL1)
NYC Train KUHR Albert Einstein College of Medicine Columbia Univ. Health Sciences; Icahn School of Medicine; Metro Health System; State University of New York Stonybrook Michael Ross
Frederick Kaskel
HKUHTI Brigham and Women’s University Boston Children’s Hospital; Beth Israel Deaconess Med Cntr; Mass. General Hospital Joseph Bonventre
Anna Greka
Cleveland Training Network Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-CWRU Case Western Reserve Univ; Cleveland State Univ. John Sedor
Jeffrey L. Garvin
ATLANTIS Emory University Georgia Institute of Technology; Morehouse School of Medicine Susan Wall
Nael McCarty
Chicago KUH FORWARD Northwestern University at Chicago Loyola Univ; Univ. of Chicago; Univ. of Illinois Chicago Susan Quaggin
Tamara Isakova
Deep South PRIME University of Alabama at Birmingham Augusta Univ; Tulane Univ. Orlando Gutierrez
David M. Pollock
KUH ART University of California Los Angeles Cedars-Sinai Med. Center; Charles Drew Univ; Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation Isidro Salusky
Elizabeta Nemeth
San Diego Regional Network Award University of California San Diego San Diego State Univ; Scripps Research Institute Joachim Ix
Dena Rifkin
Learners to Leaders University of California San Francisco Stanford Univ; Univ. of California Berkeley Elaine Ku
Chi-Yuan Hsu
University of Michigan Training Network University of Michigan at Ann Arbor Michigan State; Oakland Univ. Beaumont School of Medicine; Henry Ford Health System; Wayne State Univ. Subramaniam Pennathur
Laura Mariani
NC KUH TRIO University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Alleghany Health; Duke Univ; North Carolina A&T; Wake Forest Univ; Winston-Salem State Univ. Ronald Falk
Susan Hogan
PERFORM-KUH University of Pennsylvania Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania; Drexel Univ; Fox Chase Cancer Center; Temple Univ; Thomas Jefferson Univ. Lawrence Holzman
Wei Tong
PCT-KUH University of Pittsburgh Carnegie Mellon Univ. Manisha Jhamb
Thomas Kleyman
IGNITE-KUH University of Virginia Virginia Commonwealth Univ; Virginia Tech Mark Okusa
Didier Portilla
NCOR-KUH University of Washington Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; Puget Sound VA; Seattle Children's Hospital Nisha Bansal
Hunter Wessells

NIDDK Program Staff

Tracy L. Rankin, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Christine Maric-Bilkan, Ph.D.

Anna B. Sadusky, Ph.D.

Last Reviewed November 2023