Overview

Description
This training program is offered by the SC-CTSI BERD core for early-stage clinician investigators. The goal of the training is to provide knowledge about issues related to applying for, designing, and analyzing a grant. The program will consist of biweekly short modules with a workshop component, with focus placed on developing a document such as a grant draft or research protocol.


Objectives
Through this course, trainees will become familiar with the methodological considerations involved when designing a grant. Trainees will be able to:

  • Develop a specific, testable set of research questions and aims
  • Identify a funding mechanism and develop a corresponding tailored proposal
  • Determine the best study design and method of analysis
  • Explain methodological considerations, including the management and analysis of data
  • Anticipate and respond to common pitfalls made in grant applications
  • Effectively write and present preliminary results of such studies


Preparation
Participants in this training are included in an invitation-only capacity for faculty that have demonstrated a commitment to furthering independent scholarship. The four pillars comprising this commitment include:

  1. Scholarship. A cohesive past body of research with direct demonstration of major contributions, demonstration of a current or emerging research theme.
  2. Commitment. Participation in other training activities, a compelling research statement, previous expeditious work with BERD.
  3. Support. Prior research funding, such as institutional, departmental, pilot, foundation, industry, and/or government funding, with resulting publications and/or abstracts.
  4. Mentorship. An active research mentor and/or clinical mentorship, as demonstrated by a letter of support.


Expectations for participation
The training will heavily involve both training faculty and participant peers in session activities and feedback. Successful development of a high quality grant proposal or research protocol depends on your ongoing participation and completion of session work products. The training program will be enriched for all if we all participate throughout. Basic expectations for participation include:

  1. Watch the pre-session recorded modules.
  2. Attend and actively participate in each session.
  3. After each session, complete the session work product in the 2 weeks prior to the next session.
  4. Meet with your individual training faculty mentor in between each session. These mentors can address any questions you have on the session, and help you develop and give feedback on your session work product.
  5. Meet with you clinical mentor in between each session to give you feedback on your session work product. Your clinical mentor should also help you in identifying and recruiting your research team and will be the primary person to assist you with the Background and Significance section of your grant.


Format
Trainees are expected to view a brief module prior to the live session. The live session will consist of workshop activities. Workshop activities and session work products will lead to progress on the final training deliverable.

Training Schedule

Session

Topics

Faculty

1

Conceiving a Research Idea
Formulating your research question and broad research aims
Concepts, constructs, and variables
Determining the proposal objective: defining the study, identifying investigator’s prior research in this area

Work Product: Draft your research question. Write a short paragraph summarizing your prior work on this topic.

Ramon Durazo-Arvizu

2

Refining the Research Questions
Developing the specific aims page
Creating testable hypotheses
Summarizing the background, study design, and research questions

Work Product: Draft your specific aims page.

Wendy Mack

3

Study Designs
Choosing a study design tailored to your research question
The control or comparator group
Advantages, disadvantages, and alternatives

Work Product: Write out your study design, including study groups. State one alternative study design you might use. Why did you choose your selected study design?

Ramon Durazo-Arvizu

4

Study Variables
Measures: outcomes, exposures, ancillary data
Operationalizing variables
What people think: Surveys, scales, & questionnaires

Work Product: Write out the operational variables selected for your outcome(s) and exposure(s). Give a rationale for the selection of each. State any ancillary data you will collect and why.

Trevor Pickering

5

Data Collection and Management
Identify study design features that are barriers to high quality data
Setting up your database for success
Develop a robust data collection and management plan

Work Product: Draft your data management plan. State what aspects of your study design will facilitate or impede high quality data collection.

Melissa Wilson

6

Presenting Results
Presenting and selling your preliminary data

Work Product: Draft your preliminary work.

Wendy Mack

7

Sample Size
Sample size estimation and strategy

Work Product: Identify what elements of a sample size calculation you will need (e.g., exposure prevalence in two groups). Identify where you might obtain those numbers (it may be multiple sources) and provide a table with the numbers and sources.

Ramon Durazo-Arvizu

8

Analysis
Broad guidelines for the analysis of study data
Elements of a statistical analysis plan.

Work product: Identify your dependent and independent variable(s) and name their data type (continuous, binary, etc.). Pull out the current version of your research question – name 2-3 possible statistical methods you might use to test your research question.

Trevor Pickering

9

Qualitative Analysis

Rachel Ceasar

Application deadline: 
November 27, 2024

Apply here

Contact information

Trevor Pickering, PhD

View Email

NIH Funding Acknowledgment: Important - All publications resulting from the utilization of SC CTSI resources are required to credit the SC CTSI grant by including the NIH funding acknowledgment and must comply with the NIH Public Access Policy.