Project Grant R13DK149493

2026 AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, INC. EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATORS WORKSHOP - 2026 AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATORS WORKSHOP PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE 2026 AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (AUA) EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATOR WORKSHOP (ECIW) WILL BE HELD FALL 2026, AT THE AUA HEADQUARTERS IN LINTHICUM, MARYLAND. THE WORKSHOP WILL PROVIDE INTENSE, INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION FOR A GROUP OF THIRTY PROMISING EARLY-CAREER MD (OR EQUIVALENT) SURGEON-INVESTIGATORS AND PHD SCIENTISTS PREPARING FOR CAREERS IN UROLOGIC-DISEASE FOCUSED RESEARCH. ELIGIBILITY IS INCLUSIVE OF CLINICAL UROLOGY SUB-SPECIALTY FELLOWS, POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWS, AND EARLY-CAREER FACULTY. APPLICANTS WILL BE SELECTED BY A PEER REVIEW PROCESS. IN RESPONSE TO PAST PARTICIPANT DATA TRENDS, ECIW WILL ALSO ACCEPT EXCEPTIONALLY QUALIFIED ACGME RESIDENTS TRAINING IN UROLOGY AND PHD CANDIDATE APPLICANTS IN 2026. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASSIGNED INTO THE EARLY OR ADVANCED TRACKS TO EXPERIENCE AN OPTIMIZED CURRICULUM BASED ON RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND EXPECTED TIMELINE FOR FEDERAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT OR INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR RESEARCH GRANT SUBMISSION. PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE INSTRUCTION IN PREPARATION OF INNOVATIVE AND COMPETITIVE RESEARCH GRANT PROPOSALS, PRIMARILY TO THE NIH WITH EMPHASIS ON GRANTS FOCUSED ON UROLOGIC DISEASES. ALL ATTENDEES WILL BE APPROPRIATELY AND THOUGHTFULLY PAIRED WITH A FACULTY MENTOR. ECIW COURSE DIRECTORS (N= 2) AND PROGRAM FACULTY (N=6) SERVE AS HANDS-ON RESEARCH PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT MENTORS, DIDACTIC LECTURE SPEAKERS, AND INTERACTIVE SESSION PROCTORS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FIVE-PART HYBRID VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON CURRICULUM. THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE CAREFULLY SELECTED TO ENSURE AN EXEMPLARY RECORD IN ACHIEVING ONGOING, INDEPENDENT NIH RESEARCH FUNDING. COLLECTIVELY, THIS GROUP (N = 8) HAS ACHIEVED PAST AND CURRENT SUPPORT TOTALING OVER $55,000,000 IN FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING AS PI OR CO-PI THROUGHOUT THEIR RESEARCH CAREERS TO DATE. THE 2026 ECIW WORKSHOP CONSISTS OF FIVE PARTS CONDUCTED OVER A PERIOD OF APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS: 1) PRE-REQUISITE VIDEO MODULES REVIEWING RESEARCH FUNDAMENTALS (NEW ADDITION IMPLEMENTED IN 2025) 2) ONGOING, REGULAR VIRTUAL MENTORSHIP MEETINGS WITH ASSIGNED MENTOR/MENTEE PAIRS THROUGHOUT THE CURRICULUM 3) VIRTUAL SPECIFIC AIMS WEBINAR (NEW ADDITION IMPLEMENTED IN 2025) 4) VIRTUAL GRANT FUNDING MECHANISMS WEBINAR 5) 1.5-DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP AT AUA HEADQUARTERS INCLUDING MOCK PEER REVIEW STUDY SESSION, FULL COHORT TO SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION, INVESTIGATOR NETWORKING, AND FINAL MENTEE RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS HELD ANNUALLY SINCE 2012, ECIW HAS PRODUCED SEVERAL PROGRAM GRADUATES WHO HAVE JOINED THE UROLOGIC RESEARCH WORKFORCE AS FUNDED INVESTIGATORS. THE GRADUATES OF THE 2018-2023 PROGRAM COHORTS (N=173) HAVE BEEN AWARDED OVER $24 MILLION OF ACTIVE NIH AND OTHER FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDING AS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR OR CO- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR TO DATE.