K Scholars Program
Thank you for your interest in the K Scholars Program at the Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI). Our mission is the education and cultivation of the next generation of clinical and translational scientists. Young clinicians or biomedical professionals envisioning a career as clinician-scientists or translational researchers are ideal candidates for our program. The K grant is an NIH-sponsored professional development award that allows for a recently trained physician or other doctoral-degree biomedicine/biotechnology professional to pursue mentored research in the disciplines of clinical and translational investigation. Candidate K Scholars who have already obtained master’s or PhD degrees may qualify for an individualized K pathway in Scripps Research’s doctoral or postdoctoral programs.
Physician candidates just completing medical school may consider applying through Scripps’ American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) research track to embed our scholars research program into an extended residency or fellowship that includes 3 years of dedicated mentored research. Clinician scholars in our ABIM research pathway propose, conduct, analyze, and present translational studies within their areas of interest, under Scripps Research Translational Institute's unifying theme of individualized health care. Physicians who have completed their clinical training may apply for 2-3 mentored research years as junior faculty. This NIH-sponsored professional development program allows for a recently trained physician to pursue research training toward an independently funded research career.
Program Details
Requirements
Current Scholars
“My time as a Clinical Scholar in the Scripps Research Translational Institute’s research track program exposed me to the importance of forging strong partnerships with patients, families, hospitalists, community-based organizations and systems outside of health care to positively impact health and psychosocial outcomes and improve the quality of life of patients. The skills that I developed in the conduct of palliative care and pain management research—inviting patients, families, hospital teams and communities to participate in all phases of my research projects, from asking questions to disseminating findings—continue to impact my work with patients today.”
– Toluwalase Ajayi, MD, K Scholar, 2015-2017
“While completing a Medical Oncology Fellowship, the Scripps Research clinical scholars program provided me protected research time, financial support, and access to multidisciplinary mentorship while permitting deeper instruction in bioinformatics and immunology within the rich biotech hub of La Jolla. With this foundation, I have been able to start a laboratory, initiate early clinical trials, and provide translational research hope for my oncology clinic patients.”
– Gregory Botta, MD, PhD, K Scholar, 2018-2020
“The Clinical Scholars Program at Scripps Research was instrumental in my development as a physician scientist. It was an important component in my Research Track Cardiology Fellowship, allowing me to expand my translational research experience and gain new skills in bioinformatics, computational biology, as well as digital medicine and the utilization of artificial intelligence in medicine. It allowed exposure to many great mentors and projects, with support for me to continue my path of becoming a physician scientist, all while continuing to treat patients as a cardiologist as well.”
– Amitabh Pandey, MD, K Scholar, 2018-2022