Impact of the KL2/Catalyst Medical Research Investigator Training (CMeRIT) Program on the careers of early-stage clinical and translational investigators

Miriam A Bredella; Kate M McGroarty; Lucy Kolessin; Linda F Bard; Anthony N Hollenberg; Seward B Rutkove

doi:10.1017/cts.2022.7

Impact of the KL2/Catalyst Medical Research Investigator Training (CMeRIT) Program on the careers of early-stage clinical and translational investigators

J Clin Transl Sci. 2022 Jan 24;6(1):e16. doi: 10.1017/cts.2022.7. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Miriam A Bredella^{1

2}, Kate M McGroarty¹, Lucy Kolessin¹, Linda F Bard¹, Anthony N Hollenberg³, Seward B Rutkove^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Harvard Catalyst, The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
² Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Abstract

The Harvard Catalyst KL2/CMeRIT program is a 2-year mentored institutional career award that includes KL2 grants funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and CMeRIT grants funded by Harvard Catalyst nonfederal funds. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes for early-stage investigators funded by the KL2/CMeRIT program to a group of applicants who were not chosen for support to assess the potential impact of the program on early career outcomes. Career data, including academic promotions, subsequent grant funding, and publication rates, from both successful and unsuccessful 2008-2018 KL2/CMeRIT applicants were compiled throughout the year 2020. Data were obtained directly through outreach to both groups and through assessment of online resources. The cohort comprised 487 individuals, 109 awardees, and 378 nonawardees. Awardees were more likely to be subsequently involved in clinical and translational research than nonawardees (92% vs 75%, p < 0.001). A higher proportion of awardees also had achieved academic promotion (81% vs 69%, p = 0.016) and subsequent NIH funding (72% vs 58%, p = 0.047), while there was no difference in publication rates (p = 0.555). Participants in the Harvard Catalyst KL2/CMeRIT program demonstrate greater early career success than nonparticipants though the nonparticipants also fared relatively well.

Keywords: KL2; career development awards; education; research training; translational research.

Abstract

Grants and funding