NIH’s institutional career development awards (K12) are designed to support early career clinical and basic scientists who have made a commitment to independent research careers, and to facilitate their transition to more advanced support mechanisms (e.g., K08, K23, R01). Candidates apply for the awards through program leadership at the institution.
Duke’s K12 programs are diverse in their research focus and include the BIRCWH, KURe and WRHR Programs listed here.
BIRCWH
The BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health) is a K12 mentored Career Development Program that provides junior faculty at Duke or NCCU with salary and career development support for a minimum of two years and up to five years. The program is funded by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The Duke BIRCWH program is administered by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The purpose of the BIRCWH Career Development Program is to promote the career development of junior faculty pursuing interdisciplinary research in Women’s Health, including sex/gender similarities or differences in biology, health or disease, leading to an independent scientific career that will benefit the health of women. The BIRCWH Program provides advanced training, mentoring and career guidance. BIRCWH research spans the entire spectrum of Women’s Health topics, and the program is open to clinical and non-clinical junior faculty from any school or department.
KURe
The Duke Multidisciplinary K12 Urologic Research (KURe) is a K12 Institutional Career Development Grant that provides scholars with career development training and support to develop the skills necessary to become outstanding independent investigators able to lead multidisciplinary research teams. Scholars receive salary support up to $100,000 per year for 75% of full professional effort (50% -75% if a surgical specialty). Research and Career Development Support up to $40,000 per year will be provided for research supplies, equipment and technical personnel; tuition and fees related to didactic courses or career development; and travel to research meetings. Scholars are expected to publish and apply for independent grant funding by year three. Maximum support is for five years.
WRHR
The NIH/NICHD Women's Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development K12 Award is titled "Duke Women's Reproductive Health Research Scholars" and was received in the fall of 2020. The Duke WRHR training program combines cutting-edge research experiences with an innovative and proven career development framework to help develop the next generation of Ob/Gyn clinician-scientists.
The PROMISE Study: A NIH-funded research study to bolster diversity in the biomedical workforce