The ASH Clinical Research Training Institute is a unique year-long education and mentoring program for hematology, hematology/oncology, and hematology-related fellows-in-training, as well as junior faculty physicians at academic medical centers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The goal of ASH’s Clinical Research Training Institute is to prepare hematologists for careers in patient-oriented clinical research.

Watch a short video about the Clinical Research Training Institute

The Clinical Research Training Institute begins with a mandatory week-long summer workshop from July 31 – August 6, 2010, in La Jolla, CA, which focuses on the foundation, methodologies and application of patient-oriented clinical research. Participants are matched with a workshop faculty member and a small group, which then provides participants with intensive exposure to informational and networking resources. Throughout the week, participants further develop their own proposed patient-oriented clinical research projects, refining and revising their plans through formal and informal interaction with faculty.

Each day of the summer program is divided into didactic sessions and small group meetings. The mornings are dedicated to lectures on patient-oriented clinical research methodology and related topics, while in the afternoons participants meet with their workshop mentors and other faculty to work on protocol development. Informal presentations by leaders in hematology clinical research, designed to illustrate the variety of opportunities available within the field, take place in the evenings.

Two subsequent mandatory sessions, the first at the ASH annual meeting and the second on the second Thursday in May at ASH Headquarters in Washington, DC, provide an opportunity for further interaction and mentoring throughout the year. ASH pays awardees’ travel expenses to the summer workshop and spring meeting.

There is no fee to apply or participate in this program; however, all applicants must be ASH members.

2010 Curriculum

Highlights of the 2010 summer workshop curriculum will include:

• Advantages and disadvantages of observational studies and meta-analyses
• Advice for forming and sustaining a multi-disciplinary patient-oriented clinical research team including basic science colleagues
• Tools for assessing the quality of patient-oriented clinical research in the participant’s field
• Advice on using mentoring and networking to your advantage
• Overview of the design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiologic studies of diseases in humans
• Strategies for securing research funding and introduction to NIH and foundations supporting hematology research
• Introduction to skills necessary for giving oral presentations to diverse audiences
• Advice on preparation of research results for publication
• Overview of basic statistical terms, sample size calculation, and interpretation of results in clinical trials
• Advice on successfully interfacing with industry while maintaining research independence
• Overview of the fundamentals of general drug development
• Application of translational laboratory studies to facilitate early phase I/II clinical trials
• Overview of regulatory rules governing clinical trials
• Advice on strategies for successful collaborative research in cooperative groups by junior faculty
• Formal planning of career development and aims for a successful K23, K08 application, or similar award application

Please see the full 2010 program brochure  for more information.

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Eligibility

The Clinical Research Training Institute is geared toward adult and pediatric trainees in hematology, hematology/oncology, and hematology-related programs at academic medical centers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Eligibility extends to:

• North American MD and MD/PhD’s who at the time of their application are second- or third-year fellows, or junior faculty within three years of completing their fellowship training
  
• European applicants who have less than eight years of post-doctoral experience or have received their MD within 12 years of the application due date and have not been faculty members for more than five years.

All applicants must be members of ASH. Those chosen for Clinical Research Training Institute are required to attend all parts of the three-part program: 1) The summer workshop, 2) the program that takes place at the ASH annual meeting, and 3) a one-day meeting held in May in Washington, DC.

The Clinical Research Training Institute group is intentionally kept small to enhance the learning and mentoring experience; no more than 20 trainees will be selected for the program. To vary representation among programs, only one individual per program per medical school/institution will be accepted.

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Application Process

Letters of intent for the 2010 application cycle will be due on January 5, 2010. Those who have fulfilled the letter of intent requirements will be invited to apply, and applications are due by March 1, 2010.

Letters of intent must include the following:

• Letter of intent form (completed)
• Curriculum vitae
• A 350-word abstract describing the proposed research project

All applicants must be ASH members at the time of the application to the Clinical Research Training Institute. Applicants should pay close attention to form requirement and length limits. Applications not adhering to required format will not be reviewed. Applicants will be notified of their award status by June 1.

There is no fee to apply or participate in the program, and ASH will pay for the participants’ travel expenses to the summer workshop and spring meeting. Travel to and expenses at the annual meeting are the participant’s responsibility. By applying for the Clinical Research Training Institute, you agree to participate in all three segments of the program, if accepted.

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Required Documents

Those invited to apply will be responsible for submitting the following eight elements.

Supplied by ASH:

1. Application Form
   ASH provides this form.

2. Demographic Survey
   ASH provides this form.

The following documents must be created by the applicant:

3. Applicant’s NIH Biosketch/CV (four-page limit)
   North American applicants must submit an NIH biosketch only.
   European applicants can submit either an NIH biosketch or a curriculum vitae.
   
   Sample NIH Biosketch
   Biosketch Template
   

4. Applicant’s Career-Development Plan (two-page limit)
   Please detail your career goals (and relate to your prior experiences), systematic plan to obtain experience and skills for an independent career in patient-oriented clinical research, and available resources (such as courses, workshops, etc.) at your home institution. A description of those courses and experiences that the applicant intends to pursue should be clearly identified.

5. Research Proposal & References (five-page limit for proposal; one-page limit for references)
   The proposal should, at a minimum, include:
   • Introduction
   • Specific Aims/Objectives
   • Study Description
   • Statistical Considerations
   • Timeline for Completion and Data Analysis
     

Tables and Figures are included in the five-page limit.

Note: 1) Studies must directly involve clinical observation of human subjects; potential areas include new approaches to the diagnosis, treatment, pathogenesis or epidemiology of hematologic disorders, as well as the utilization of health-care resources for these diseases. 2) Studies that are exclusively laboratory based are not appropriate. 3) One of the purposes of the Clinical research Training Institute fall program is to work with the trainee to further develop his/her proposal. Therefore, studies that will be open to enrollment by September 2010 are not appropriate.

The following documents must be created by the applicant’s mentor:

6. Mentor’s NIH Biosketch/CV (four-page limit)
   North American applicants must submit an NIH biosketch only.
   European applicants can submit either an NIH biosketch or a curriculum vitae.
   
   Sample NIH Biosketch
   Biosketch Template

7. Mentor’s Statement of Support (two-page limit)
   Please include a letter of support written by the applicant’s mentor that outlines his/her track record with the applicant and details the mentor's qualifications in the applicant's research area; previous experience in mentoring junior investigators; nature and extent of plans to mentor the applicant and support the applicant's proposal during the award year; and commitment to providing a productive environment for the applicant to pursue a project.

8. Institutional Commitment Letter (one-page limit)
   The division chief, or similar institutional official, should provide a description of the institutional commitment to the investigator applicant. The narrative should include a statement regarding “protected” time for the execution of research and a description of the available environment and resources for the applicant to conduct his/her research and to gain experience and training relevant to his/her career development. A commitment of time and resources for the applicant to attend all three (3) required meetings should be clearly stated.
   
   This letter must be separate from the mentor letter of support and be on official institutional letterhead with an original signature of the division chief (or similar institutional official).

Additional Items
If the trainee has made plans to move to another institution prior to the start of Clinical Research Training Institute in August, a letter of support from the mentor and a letter of support and commitment from the division chief (or similar institutional official) at the new institution must be sent as part of the completed application.

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Application Evaluation

Each application is reviewed by a primary, secondary, and tertiary reviewer and reviewed based on the following criteria:

1. The applicant’s personal qualifications, as assessed by the NIH biosketch/CV, and potential for academic success, as assessed by the career development plan.
2. The proposal’s originality, feasibility, and clinical importance. Completion of the proposal within the year of the Clinical Research Training Institute is not necessary, but a clear plan for the timeline of the study and data analysis is essential. Preference will be given to proposals with greater involvement of clinical observations.
3. The mentor’s experience and plans for supporting the applicant, as evidenced by the mentor’s NIH Biosketch/CV and statement of support and the institutional letter of commitment.

A written review and critique of the proposal will be provided to each applicant.

Further detailed information about the ASH Clinical Research Training Institute is available by contacting training@hematology.org.

ASH News Daily Article on the Clinical Research Training Institute
Read a first-person account of the Clinical Research Training Institute summer workshop.

Press Release Announcing the 2009 Clinical Research Training Institute Participants

2009 Clinical Research Training Institute Participants and Faculty

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