CCTS | Education

Pre-doctoral Education for Clinical and Translational Scientist (PECTS) Program

For questions regarding the program, please contact Jack Zwanziger at 312/996-1062, jzwanzig@uic.edu, or Larry Tobacman at 312-413-9688, lst@uic.edu.

PECTS applications are not currently being accepted. Please contact Susan Lynch at 312/413-5429 or slynch2@uic.edu if you wish to receive notification when the next RFA is published.

2008 PECTS Fellows Announced

The University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Clinical Translational Science is pleased to announce the 2008 CCTS PECTS Fellowship recipients.

Ms. Yalda Afshar, PhD Candidate in Department of Physiology and Biophysics, and Ms. Danyelle Martin, PhD Candidate in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, have been named 2008 CCTS PECTS Fellows and will be supported in completing their dissertation research under the mentorship of successful clinical and translational researchers at UIC.

As PECTS Fellows, Ms. Afshar and Ms. Martin will be provided with two years of stipend support, at the NIH Ruth Kirschstein NRSA level (currently $20,772 annually), plus $2000/yr for trainee-related expenses, and will be expected to devote full time to their research during the period of support.

GOALS OF THE PECTS PROGRAM

The CCTS Pre-doctoral Education for Clinical and Translational Scientists (PECTS) Program to support the dissertation research of basic biomedical PhD candidates who are preparing for careers as translational researchers. Awards will support trainees whose graduate research has a major clinical or translational research focus, but who are part of a more basic PhD program that does not ordinarily provide training in more clinically applied investigation. PECTS fellows will be trained to be the "natural" collaborators for clinical and translational researchers. Also, trainees will become part of a clinical and translational science community through mentorship, collaboration, seminars, and workshops outside of their separate degree programs.

As a PECTS Fellows, individuals will be provided with two years of stipend support, at the NIH Ruth Kirschstein NRSA level (currently $20,772 annually), plus $2000/yr for trainee-related expenses. PECTS Fellows will be expected to devote full time to their research during the period of support. We intend to select as many as two trainees in this round.

Curriculum Overview

The CCTS PECTS Program will provide both didactic and experiential opportunities in the methods of clinical and disease-oriented research, for students pursing a PhD in a field that does not routinely provide such training, but that can serve as a foundation for clinical or translational research, if properly supplemented. Each trainee will have a named, second mentor, outside his/her primary field, who has clinical or translational research expertise. Correspondingly, the chosen thesis research project should have a component that clearly is clinical or translational. Participating students will complete two 3-credit hour courses in practical and quantitative aspects of clinical research methods, plus an Ethics in Clinical Research course (1 credit hour). On-line courses will be one option for didactic instruction, when available in 2009. Finally, students will participate in the CCTS community, joining lunchtime work-in-progress sessions for more advanced trainees, and key seminar series.

Qualifications for Selection

The primary qualifications for this program include current enrollment in a biomedical PhD program at UIC, successful completion of PhD qualifying exams, selection of a primary and a secondary dissertation mentor, and a commitment to a clinical/translational research career. Applicants must also have a completed proposal for a suitable dissertation project, and must have a preliminary dissertation committee composed of both basic and clinical/translational scientists.

Suitable thesis projects should involve, as a component, human subjects, human materials, infrastructure related to human subject investigation, or else concern disease mechanisms with clear, near term implications for therapeutics or prevention.

To be eligible for the CCTS PECTS, applicants must be United States citizens, non-citizen nationals, or individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence and possess an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-151 or I-551, or some other verification of legal admission as a permanent resident). Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible for admission. In addition, trainees must be able to commit full-time effort in the program.

UIC is dedicated to increasing the participation of individuals currently underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences. This includes underrepresented racial, ethnic, social, cultural, economic, or educational backgrounds that may have inhibited an individual's ability to pursue a career in clinical and translational research up to this point. UIC acknowledges that diversifying the student and faculty bodies improves the quality of the training and educational environment.

Application Requirements and Instructions:

(Application not currently accepted)

1. Nomination Letter: A brief letter from the applicant's thesis advisor, co-signed by the Director of Graduate Studies, endorsing the candidate's application to the program, and agreeing to support the trainee to enable them to devote full time to their research.

2. Personal Statement: A statement detailing the applicant's accomplishments to date, career goals and plans. Specifically, applicants should address background information relevant to their interest in translational research, and how additional training through the CCTS PECTS Program would help achieve these goals. The applicant should provide any prior or ongoing research experience and explain how this might interface with the training program. This statement should be no longer than two pages, single-spaced.

3. Dissertation Proposal: A 2-3 page description of the applicant's proposed translational dissertation project.

4. Curriculum vitae: Current curriculum vitae, including any publications.

5. Dissertation Committee Members: Provide a list of current or potential dissertation committee members, including a specific second mentor, outside of the applicant's primary field, who has clinical or translational research expertise.

6. Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation from faculty or research mentors/advisors who can attest to the applicant's abilities. One letter must be from the applicant's PhD dissertation advisor. Another may, or may not, be from the Director of Graduate Studies. The letters of recommendation should address a) the applicant's previous achievements in research and/or academics; b) the applicant's potential for successfully completing a translational dissertation project; c) analysis of the applicant's career development plans, commitment to research, and how the award would advance these plans. These letters should be placed in sealed envelopes addressed to the CCTS PECTS Program with a handwritten signature of the recommender over the seal.

7. Copies of Transcripts from all Academic Training: Copies of undergraduate and any graduate transcripts are required.