3-Tiered Research Education and Training

UF Health Jacksonville faculty, fellows, and trainees have varying degrees of interest in research, therefore it is essential that we provide a variety of levels of engagement. Our 3-tiered curriculum provides educational options for nearly all commitment levels. Our coursework ranges from teaching the basics of clinical research (Tier 1: Research Essentials), to immersive training in study design and grant writing (Tier 2: Research Training Academy) to formal support for pursuing a research career (Tier 3: Jax Scholars).

Please see our calendar of upcoming events at the bottom of this page for more information about upcoming program events. If you would like to meet with us about any of the programs that we offer, please contact us.

Tier 1: Research Essentials

Research Essentials provides research education in a didactic and interactive format that is open to all faculty, trainees, and students. Topics are broadly relevant to conducting clinical research at UF Health Jacksonville and include the following topics:

• UF research resources and processes
• How to develop a research question
• Study design basics
• Qualitative studies
• Univariate and multivariable analysis
• Grant funding opportunities
• IRB protocols and procedures
• Data types
• Data collection and storage
• Survey research
• Abstract and manuscript writing
• Mentoring in research

Tier 2: Research Training Academy

The Research Training Academy (RTA) is an advanced training program focusing on junior faculty, fellows and post-doctoral associates who are motivated to pursue research as a significant portion of their academic career. The program serves as a pipeline-training program to assist young investigators by providing them with advanced formal training in clinical research and guidance from experienced funded researchers. This course will enable them to write a research strategy section and mentorship plan with the goal of attaining extramural federal funding. This immersive lecture series consists of bi-weekly interactive instruction in the following:

• Development and refinement of a specific research question
• Hypothesis development
• Study design and approach
• Study protocol development
• Statistical considerations
• Development of mentor team
• Federal grant writing and review

The goal for participants at completion is to have a grant application that will be formally presented to and scored by the UF Jacksonville Scientific Review Group. The grant and presentation scores will aid selection of a Jax Scholar.

The program further features:

• Structured feedback and grant review from the Scientific Review Group
• Assistance with contacting and selecting mentors
• Research career coaching
• Consideration for a Jax Scholar award

Eligibility for the Research Training Academy (RTA)

• Faculty candidates must be Assistant Professor rank within 10 years of graduating training with a full-time appointment within a UF Jacksonville department
• Fellows or post-doctoral candidates must have plans to pursue a full-time faculty position at the University of Florida upon completion of training
• Candidates with PhD or another doctoral degree in a clinical discipline such as clinical psychology, nursing, clinical genetics, speech-language pathology, audiology or rehabilitation are also eligible.
  • All candidates must have completed their health professions doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., O.D., D.C., Pharm.D., Ph.D.)

Those who apply to the RTA must have a letter of support from their Department Chair outlining at least 0.1 FTE commitment to completion of the RTA course and protection from clinical, teaching and administrative responsibilities.

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Tier 3: Jax Scholars

The Jax Scholars program is a UF Health – Jacksonville internal scholars program that provides faculty protection from clinical duties for up to two-years so they can dedicate time towards research training. This research training can include a formal master’s program negotiated on an individual basis with the Senior Associate Dean for Research. Jax Scholars will have access to career coaching through the CRT and their progress will be overseen by a mentorship team. In addition to funding for protected time (30% at the NIH Salary cap of $197,300), the scholar will receive $15,000 per year for research related activities. One Jax Scholar will be selected yearly from Research Training Academy graduates who apply for the Jax Scholars program. An Individual Development Plan as well as IRB approval must be received by July 1st prior to commencement of Jax Scholars funding.

Additional considerations for Jax Scholars: strong preference will be given to candidates with evidence of prior research productivity including published papers, abstracts and/or presentations or documentation of research work experience. Major factors influencing Jax Scholars selection will be the strength of the mentoring team and the Department Chair’s commitment to the candidate that necessary resources will be made available to the trainee (including demonstrable reductions in clinical, teaching and administrative responsibilities to pursue research activities, and the facilities and resources needed to conduct the proposed research).

Jax Scholars will be required to submit a NIH grant application prior to the completion of their two-year award.