Application Information

The Yale-CORE Career Development Program in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (Y-CORE PCOR) is an AHRQ-funded K12 program within the Yale-New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation that is designed to train junior faculty and postdoctoral fellows in patient-centered outcomes research. Y-CORE PCOR will provide training and career development support for 2 scholars who have a clinical or research doctoral degree and are committed to a career in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and comparative effectiveness research (CER).

Yale-CORE, one of the nation’s oldest academic outcomes research units, is defined by the quality of its multidisciplinary team and associated partners, the depth of its relationship with stakeholders, the effectiveness of its translation of scholarship into action, and its commitment to nurturing the careers of young investigators. Moreover, Yale-CORE, which is configured to combine scholarship and impact, provides a platform from which candidates can learn “the translation, dissemination, and uptake of evidentiary information for health care practice and decision-making.”

PCOR helps people and their caregivers make informed health care decisions, allowing their voices to be heard in assessing the value of health care options. It explicitly recognizes the contribution of a number of types of research, including evidence synthesis, primary data generation, and implementation and dissemination research – all informed directly by the end user of the research. Each research project will involve stakeholders, including patients and community members, as partners from conceptualization through dissemination.

The Y-CORE PCOR training program will be tailored to the individual needs and level of experience of the scholar and will contain two components: 1) didactic/experiential learning, through formal coursework directed study and participation in seminar series and; 2) at least one well-defined, mentored patient centered outcomes research project with an active dissemination component so that results are available and useful to the end users. The didactic component will include education in PCOR and formal training in stakeholder engagement and CER. In addition, there is an educational component on leadership. Finally, there is also an expectation of participation in at least one project in CORE that involves the development of national measures of health care performance. For scholars with prior training in these areas, the training program will be customized for their needs.

Elements of the program include: Mentor Advisory Panels (MAPs) that will advise and guide each scholar, including a patient consultant; option to complete the MHS along with targeted advanced coursework for PCOR; training and experience in research prioritization, data generation and evidence synthesis; mentored participation in a community review board to develop skills in patient centeredness; 75% salary support/protected time in addition to funds for educational and research pursuits.

Metrics of scholar success at the completion of the program will include: 1) satisfactory completion of all core courses and seminars or demonstration of equivalent competency; 2) completion of a mentored research project, including demonstration of substantive community/patient engagement and scholar identification of skills developed through this engagement; 3) presentation of scientific abstracts at national meetings and other forums including those of health care delivery systems and government agencies; 4) preparation of at least one peer reviewed scientific manuscript and one other form of dissemination such as a policy brief, blog, or op-ed piece; and 5) application for continued research funding through NIH or other federal agencies or foundations or sources; 6) satisfactory participation in policy relevant project within CORE.

• Applicants must have earned a clinical or research doctorate, including PhD, ScD, DrPH, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DMD, DNS or equivalent doctoral degree at the time of appointment and demonstrate commitment to conducting CER, applied to PCOR.
  At the time of the award, applicant must have a “full-time” appointment at Yale University.
• Applicants must be able to commit a minimum of nine person-months (75% of full-time professional effort) conducting research career development activities associated with this award for a two year period. The remaining three months (25% effort) can be divided among other research, clinical, and teaching activities only if these activities are consistent with the goals of the award, i.e., the candidate’s development into an independent investigator.
• Applicants may request as much as $90,000 for salary support plus associated fringe and as much as $20,000 for research support per year.
• Applicants must be US citizens or non-citizen nationals, or individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Additional details on citizenship requirements are available in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
  

• The research experience of applicants should resemble those supported by the individual Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08), the Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01), the Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (K23), or postdoctoral trainees and fellows appointed to F32 or T32 grants or eligible for K99 grants. Scholars to be supported by the institutional career development program must be at the career level for which the planned program is intended and appointed for a two- or three-year period.  
• All scholars appointed to this grant can move on to individual mentored career development support grants upon completion of their two- or three-year appointment on the K12 grant. Any scholar appointed to an AHRQ-supported K12 program or an AHRQ-supported individual mentored career development may not exceed a total of five years of AHRQ mentored career development support.
• Individuals are eligible for placement as a scholar if they have been, or currently are the PD/PI of an NIH or AHRQ R36, F31, or F32 grant or a Federal or non-Federal award that duplicates the provisions or research goals of these grants and otherwise meet all other eligibility criteria. The scholar will have to terminate the existing award before being appointed to the K12. Individuals are also eligible to be scholar candidates if they have been, or currently are the PD/PI of an NIH or AHRQ R03 or R21 grant or a Federal or non-Federal award that duplicates the provisions or research goals of an R03 or R21 grant.  
• Scholars are strongly encouraged to apply for independent research grant support (e.g., R01, R21, R03) by the end of their final year of appointment.   
• Individuals not eligible to apply include those who:
  • Have simultaneously submitted or have an application pending peer review for any other Federal career development award, or a research project grant (R01). However, individuals may concurrently submit an application for an AHRQ or NIH Small Grant (R03) or Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21); 
  • Have simultaneously submitted or have an application pending peer review for any non-Federal research grant, contract, or cooperative agreement over $100,000 direct costs per year;
  • Have been or are currently a PD/PI on any other Federal mentored career development awards;
  • Have been or are currently supported on an institutional K12 grant or KL2 (or similar grant); 
  • Have been or are currently a PD/PI on a Federal research grant (such as R01, R29, P01) or subproject leaders on Program Project (P01) and Center Grants (P50); and/or
  • Have been or are currently a PD/PI on peer-reviewed non-Federal research grants, contracts or cooperative agreements over $100,000 direct costs per year.
    

Y-CORE PCOR is led by Drs. Harlan Krumholz, Leslie Curry, and Jennifer Mattera. Kendall Getek is the lead on administrative matters. Yale-CORE, an academic unit dedicated to outcomes research, leadership and translation, is the Program’s center of gravity. Yale-CORE consists of more than 80 clinical investigators, statisticians, analysts, computer scientists, economists, epidemiologists, management experts, psychologists, and administrative staff dedicated to leading positive change in health care through strong science and its translation into practice and policy. Please direct questions to kendall.getek@yale.edu.