Project Grant R13DK145251

2025 AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, INC. EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATOR WORKSHOP - 2025 AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATORS WORKSHOP PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE 2025 AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (AUA) EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATOR WORKSHOP (ECIW) WILL BE HELD FALL 2025, AT THE AUA HEADQUARTERS IN LINTHICUM, MARYLAND. THE WORKSHOP WILL PROVIDE INTENSE, INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION FOR A GROUP OF APPROXIMATELY THIRTY EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATORS AND LATE-STAGE TRAINEES ON HOW TO PREPARE INNOVATIVE AND COMPETITIVE RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS, PRIMARILY TO THE NIH WITH EMPHASIS ON GRANTS IN BENIGN UROLOGY. RESEARCHERS, BOTH FACULTY MENTORS AND ATTENDEES, WILL BE MDS, DOS, AND PHDS FROM DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AND BACKGROUNDS. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES DUAL-TRACK INSTRUCTION (EARLY AND ADVANCED) BY NIH-FUNDED SENIOR SCIENTISTS. THIS WORKSHOP SERVES AS A CATALYST TO INCREASE THE QUALITY OF UROLOGIC RESEARCH GRANT PROPOSALS SUBMITTED TO THE NIH. THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI), JOHANNY KUGELMAN-TONOS, PHD, IS AUA DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH. THE PLANNING COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF A WIDE ARRAY OF LEADERS IN UROLOGIC RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING. ALL FACULTY POSSESS EXEMPLARY RECORDS IN NIH RESEARCH FUNDING, MENTORING TRAINEES, AND PLANNING UROLOGY RESEARCH EDUCATION. THIS WORKSHOP CONSISTS OF THREE PARTS: 1) TWO MONTHS OF REMOTE MENTORSHIP DURING WHICH FACULTY MENTORS PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON SPECIFIC AIMS AND GRANT APPLICATIONS, 2) A PRE-WORKSHOP WEBINAR FOR FUNDING MECHANISM SPEAKERS TO PRESENT APPLICABLE GRANTS FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE INSTITUTIONS, AND 3) A 1.5-DAY IN- PERSON WORKSHOP. THE WORKSHOP INCLUDES PRESENTATIONS ON KEY FACETS OF GRANT WRITING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING: CRAFTING STRONG SPECIFIC AIMS; COMPOSING SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PROPOSALS; EFFECTIVE NIH BIOSKETCHES; COMMON GRANT WRITING PITFALLS; TRANSITIONING FROM K TO R GRANTS; STARTING AN INDEPENDENTLY FUNDED LAB AS JUNIOR FACULTY; LAB MANAGEMENT, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, AND BUDGETING; CREATING STRONG MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS; AND SOCIAL NETWORKS. MENTORS ARE MATCHED TO PARTICIPANTS BASED ON SCIENTIFIC AREA TO CUSTOMIZE FEEDBACK ON METHODOLOGIES. BY REQUIRING FACULTY MENTORS AND PARTICIPANTS TO MEET OVER THE COURSE OF TWO MONTHS THE PARTICIPANTS CAN IMPROVE THEIR SPECIFIC AIMS AND GRANT APPLICATIONS UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF EXPERIENCED RESEARCHERS. THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE WORKSHOP IS THE MOCK PEER REVIEW STUDY SECTION WHERE FACULTY MENTORS PARTICIPATE IN A NIH-STYLE STUDY SECTION TO DEMONSTRATE HOW GRANTS ARE REVIEWED AND HOW TO AVOID COMMON ERRORS. THE ADVANCED GRANT DEVELOPMENT TRACK PROVIDES SUPPORT TO INVESTIGATORS SUBMITTING K- OR R-TYPE GRANT APPLICATIONS WITHIN NINE MONTHS AFTER THE WORKSHOP AND IS THE TARGET FOR EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF THE ECIW. ACCORDING TO A RECENT OUTCOMES ANALYSIS, THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS TRACK BETWEEN 2015 AND 2021 HAVE GONE ON TO EARN OVER $10 MILLION IN MAJOR GRANT FUNDING FROM THE NIH, DOD, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.