Inter-CFAR Fellowship Program in Implementation Science (2022-2023)

On behalf of inter-CFAR Implementation Science Working Group and the Mid-Atlantic CFAR Implementation Science Hub, we are welcoming applications for an NIH-funded training opportunity in implementation science (IS) for early-stage investigators (ESIs) engaging in HIV-related research. Since its inaugural class of 2019-2020, the fellowship has engaged 81 fellows in the program. This year’s Implementation Science Fellows will be selected across the CFAR network, HBCUs and U.S. Universities to participate in a mentorship program, including both didactic, online, and mentored small group training in IS methodology. The applied mentorship focuses on the development of a grant application which incorporates IS methodology and/or training and culminates in a two-day in person grant refinement and networking workshop. This workshop will take place in Baltimore on a date to be determined in March/April 2023 and is a requirement of the Fellowship. A final decision regarding the exact date of the in-person meeting will be determined prior to application decisions. Please refer to JHU-CFAR (hopkinscfar.org) for details and check back periodically for updates.
  
Fellows are expected to: 

  • Complete a series of 12 pre-recorded modules
  • Engage in live weekly Friday discussion sessions throughout the Fellowship to discuss lectures, critical papers in the field, IS methods, and advance their grants. Note, the sessions are held from 3-4 pm EST from program inception mid October 2022- March 2023, with breaks over the holiday seasons.
  • Develop a grant incorporating IS research
  • Attend a two-day in-person workshop (Covid-19 dependent) with the mentorship team to present grant progress and receive feedback, which will take place in late March/early April 2023. A final decision regarding the exact date of the in-person meeting will be determined in the coming weeks and will be provided prior to enrollment. Please refer to JHU-CFAR (hopkinscfar.org) for details and check back periodically for updates.

The overarching goal of the fellowship is to support ESIs focused on HIV-related research with training and mentoring opportunities in IS to encourage and capacitate ESIs in the submission of successful IS-focused grants. Specifically, the objectives are: 

  1. Fill an implementation science training gap among emergent HIV-focused investigators
  2. Support ESIs in the development of an implementation science focused grant
  3. Foster cross-institutional networking and mentorship opportunities for ESIs within the field of HIV-implementation science

Mentoring Team and Associated Faculty: Stefan Baral (JHU), Christopher Hoffmann (JHU), Elvin Geng (Washington University in St. Louis), Vivian Go (UNC), Arianna Means (UW), Denis Nash (CUNY), Sheree Schwartz (JHU), Kenneth Sherr (UW), J.D. Smith (Utah SOM), Patrick Sullivan (Emory), Carolyn Audet (Vanderbilt), Jessica Sales (Emory), Sharmistha Mishra (U of Toronto), Alison Hamilton (UCLA), Larry Hearld (UAB), Sten Vermund (Yale), Amanda Castel (GWU).
 
Eligibility and logistics: Spots will be reserved exclusively for early-stage faculty (Assistant Professor, Research Assistant Professor and equivalent positions), post-doctoral fellows, and exceptional senior-level PhD candidates. All applicants must be NIH-defined early-stage investigators (ESIs) who have not held an R01 or equivalent award. The Fellowship is targeted at faculty, though exceptional pre- and post-doctoral candidates ready to submit grants will be considered. ESIs who hold or previously held EHE IS grant supplement awards are encouraged to apply, as are candidates from HBCUs.


Applicants will be asked to submit their NIH formatted biosketch, a one-page specific aims document pertaining to the grant that they will be developing, provide basic details of their proposed IS-related grant (e.g. working title, proposed funding mechanism, submission cycle), and a brief summary of their prior experience and planned future directions conducting implementation science research. The specific aims page does not need to be polished and is expected to evolve during the fellowship as IS skills advance. Because grant development is critical to the fellowship, however, we are seeking out applicants who will be submitting a grant that incorporates IS methodology and are committed to moving this forward. Funding will be available for the IS Fellows to attend the 2-day in-person meeting planned for March/April 2023.
 
NOTE UPDATED DATES:
Interested applicants should apply online by September 11, 2022, 11:59 pm EDT at:
https://jhsph.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2sKuHQIor8xf2Z0
Outcomes will be announced by September 26, 2022. The virtual fellowship will begin October 17, 2022.