Research Requirements
The mentored clinical research experience is a key component of the Postdoctoral Certificate Program in clinical and translational science. To complete the program, you need to submit a research proposal, carry out the research and develop a manuscript.
Research proposal
Your research proposal and supporting documentation should be submitted to the CTSA Postdoctoral Programs Committee for review and approval no later than the first Monday in January of the year following your admission to the Postdoctoral Certificate Program. If you began the program in 2011, your proposal is due by Jan. 3, 2012.
- The proposal. Use the format described in Mayo Graduate School's Outline for Master's Thesis Proposals.
- A cover letter. Your cover letter, which should be signed by both you and your mentor, should describe:
- The scholar's specific role in the design, conduct and reporting of the research project.
- The number and general nature of the publications that are expected to be generated from the research project. The scholar's role should be sufficient to justify being the first author on the primary publication(s) arising from the project. For scholars enrolled in the certificate program, the project is expected to generate at least one original article.
Minute excerpt from your department or division research committee. This minute excerpt must document that peer review of the proposal has taken place, as well as that the proposed work is clinically important and has scientific merit.
If the project is a retrospective chart review, deemed nontherapeutic and minimal risk, and not a part of a larger project, the protocol will need to be assessed for feasibility and sample size by the research committee — even though this may not be required by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
If the proposal is part of a larger project, you must provide a copy of the abstract and documentation of scientific peer review of the larger project, such as a minute excerpt from the appropriate research committee or funding agency. You are strongly encouraged to submit this excerpt with your proposal, but may submit it as soon as possible after submitting your proposal.
- Minute excerpt from the IRB. This minute excerpt must document that IRB review of your proposal has taken place and that approval has been granted for the project. You are strongly encouraged to submit this excerpt with your proposal, but may submit it as soon as possible after submitting your proposal.
When ready, submit the proposal and supporting documentation to:
- CTSA Education Resources
- Mayo Clinic
Plummer Building, Third Floor
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905
Our Education Contacts page contains a listing of team members who can assist you with questions.
Research proposal review criteria
Proposals will be reviewed by the CTSA Postdoctoral Programs Committee using these criteria:
- Clinical research. Does the project meet the definition of clinical research? If an animal model is being studied, has the scholar justified its significance to human disease?
Scientific peer review. Is there a minute excerpt from the appropriate research committee noting that the project has been scientifically peer reviewed? If the project is a retrospective chart review, deemed nontherapeutic and minimal risk, and not a part of a larger project, has it been assessed for feasibility and sample size by the research committee (even though this may not be required by the IRB)?
If the proposal is part of a larger project, has a copy of the abstract and documentation of scientific peer review of the larger project — such as a minute excerpt from the appropriate research committee or funding agency — been provided?
- IRB review. Has IRB approval for the project been obtained or is it pending? If the scholar's project is part of a larger project, has documentation been provided showing IRB approval for the larger project?
- Authorship. Will the scholar be the first author on publications resulting from this project? If the scholar's project is part of a larger, multiauthor study, has the scholar explained how he or she will contribute to authorship? Will the project result in at least one or two publications?
- Feasibility. Is there sufficient funding for the project? Is there sufficient time to collect data and recruit subjects? Does the project align with the scholar's research interests?
- Recruitment plan. Has a satisfactory subject recruitment plan, including a timeline, been provided?
- Current status. Has the status of the project been provided? (For example, "Fifty percent of the data is collected, with data collection expected to be complete in six months.")
Manuscript
Your manuscript, which is due to the CTSA Postdoctoral Programs Committee by June 1, 2012, summarizes the results of the research project you proposed and completed for the Postdoctoral Certificate Program. Though a manuscript is generally not as comprehensive as a thesis, it should be submitted to the committee in the same format as it would be submitted to a journal. Your mentor can advise you on both manuscript content and format.
If your manuscript has been or will be submitted to any journals, please indicate that. Submission of your manuscript to a journal is not mandatory if the data you obtained are insufficient to justify publication.
Remember that because you received funding through the CTSA — and may have used CTSA services to support your research — you are required to cite the grant in your manuscript.
Use this citation:
This publication (or project) was supported by NIH/NCRR CTSA Grant Number UL1 RR024150. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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