CCTST K Scholars Program Receives NIH K12 Grant Support
- UC CCTST
- Oct 20
- 3 min read
The K Scholars Program, in collaboration with the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST), has received a new five-year mentored research career development program award (K12) from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health.
Since its inception in 2009, the K Scholars Program has supported over 50 early-career MD and PhD investigators from a broad range of disciplines across the academic health system who aspire to lead clinical and translational programs of research. The K Scholars Program serves as a mentored training step leading to successful submissions of their first grants for external funding, typically an NIH individual mentored career development award (e.g., K23, K01, K08), or for some, an independent R-level award.
“The K12 program is one of the powerful ways the CCTST brings its mission to life. Year after year, this program cultivates exceptional clinical and translational scientists who are passionate about making real improvements in people’s health and well-being,” says CCTST Co-Director, Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and executive associate director in the Cincinnati Children’s Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology and associate dean for clinical and translational science and training at the UC College of Medicine. “These scholars don’t just contribute, they lead, leaving a visible national footprint and helping create a healthier, better world for all of us.”
The program is backed by strong leadership, including Principal Investigator and Director, Meg H. Zeller, PhD, professor of Pediatrics in the Cincinnati Children’s Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, and Associate Director, Moises A. Huaman, MD, MSc, associate professor in the UC College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine and alumnus of the K Scholar program. The program is also supported by Krista Metz, administrative director, accomplished faculty mentoring teams, and extensive cross-institutional resources.
Beyond salary and research project support, the unique cohort-based program offers an individualized approach that bridges disciplinary boundaries, combines didactic learning with experiential training, and emphasizes research outputs that drive real-world impact for all people and communities. Scholars engage in bi-monthly scholar meetings featuring rotating speakers and scholar “work in progress” presentations.
In addition to a translational mentoring team, peer mentoring is a cornerstone of the program and widely credited by alums for scholars’ success. Program alums are highly successful investigators, having collectively produced nearly 2,000 peer-reviewed publications and generated over $450 million in direct costs (PI, Co-PI, MPI, or Co-I). Additionally, 95% continue to conduct clinical and translational research.
“The renewal of the K Scholars program is essential to advancing the College of Medicine’s research mission,” says Brett Kissela, MD, MS, executive vice dean and senior associate dean of clinical research for the UC College of Medicine, professor in the UC College of Medicine Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, chief of research services at UC Health, and director of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute. “By providing dedicated mentorship and protected time for research, the program cultivates highly productive, multidisciplinary clinical and translational scientists who go on to become leaders in their fields. This, in turn, strengthens the collaborative biomedical research community across both UC and Cincinnati Children’s. We are excited to receive continued funding for this program, which will train the next generation of research leaders.”
The program will be accepting Letter of Intent submissions for the 2026-2028 cohort from October 27- November 24, 2025. For more information about the K Scholar program and RFA for the upcoming competition, please visit our website.
