The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) has received a $680,000 grant from the nonprofit Burroughs Wellcome Fund to cultivate the next generation of physician-scientists with a commitment to community engagement. The grant will enable UMSOM, in partnership with Morgan State University (MSU), to launch the Advancing Physician-Scientist Development, Community Engagement and Dissemination (AHEAD) program. The program will offer mentorship, training, and funding to early-career UMSOM investigators and MSU undergraduates.

Grant funding, combined with additional funding from UMSOM, will enable the AHEAD program to provide up to $225,000 in awards annually over the next four years, for a total investment of $900,000. Funds will be awarded to AHEAD scholars in three main categories:

• Clinical or basic research project awards of $30,000 to $50,000 will support physician-scientists or postdoctoral fellows in acquiring preliminary data for grant proposals or manuscripts.

• Translational lab awards of $10,000 to $20,000 will support researchers’ clinical samples and lab supply purchases for preliminary research.

• Professional development awards of $2,000 to $5,000 will support early career researchers in manuscript preparation, biostatistical support, and other services to aid in their career progression as physician-scientists.

In partnership with MSU, the AHEAD program will also support a summer research program for five undergraduate students interested in medical school and a research career. Selected students will research and shadow clinical providers or AHEAD program scholars based on the students’ interests.

Eligible UMSOM physician-scientist faculty members may apply for AHEAD awards by April 15, with award announcements to be made by May 1. Eligible applicants will be junior faculty who are tenure-eligible and have not yet received K or R01 grant funding; they need to provide a letter of support from their department chair.

“The AHEAD program originates in recognition of the challenges facing our early career physician-scientists," said Wonder Drake, MD, UMSOM Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, who serves as the Administrative Leader of the program. "UMSOM leadership wants to help them navigate those career challenges successfully to pursue the innovative research that makes this career choice so rewarding while improving health outcomes.” 

Such challenges include balancing both clinical and laboratory responsibilities as well as obtaining and maintaining support for their own research programs. These challenges may be compounded by the timing of work-life balance as many early career physician-scientists are starting families.

AHEAD program scholars will receive mentorship and training in designing and presenting research, community engagement to share research with affected communities, and support in writing their first NIH K and R01 grant applications through UMSOM’s Center for Advanced Research Training and Innovation (CARTI). The program will also host workshops on essential research skills, as well as provide an internal grant review service prior to the grant being submitted to the NIH, and supplemental funding during a crucial time of the physician-scientist’s career.

“The AHEAD program is intentionally preparing the next generation of physician-scientists to lead at the vital intersection of society, environment, and biology,” said Esa Davis, MD, MPH, UMSOM Senior Associate Dean for Population and Community Medicine, and the Physician-Scientist Development Leader for the AHEAD program. “Our goal is to empower these researchers with the expertise and community engagement skills necessary to not only achieve scientific independence and tenure, but to also deliver impactful research solutions that directly address the persistent health inequities within our West Baltimore community and beyond.”

The AHEAD program represents a critical investment in the future of medicine, directly addressing the generational challenge of persistent health inequities that threaten our national well-being, according to Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. 

“This support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund comes at a critical time as early career physician scientists are facing significant and increasing challenges,” said Dean Mark T. Gladwin, Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean. “I appreciate the leadership of Dean Drake and Dean Davis who are committed to nurturing the next generation of researchers, including Morgan State University undergraduates, and  ensuring that our UMSOM investigators remain deeply engaged with the communities we serve."