The CHARMED Center plays a key role in enhancing the careers of new investigators and supporting career advancement and professional development of environmental health scientists with an interest in community-engaged research. Below are details of activities organized and coordinated by the CHARMED Administrative Core as part of the Center’s Career Development Program:

• Salary support provided for junior faculty member engaged in community-engaged research

• Financial support for utilization of the CHARMED Facility Cores

• Leadership opportunities through the CHARMED Career Development Program

• Enrichment activities for new investigators, including: workshops, and hands-on training for technologies that advance research of junior faculty and new EHS researchers

 

The CHARMED Center’s Career Development Program, directed by Gurumurthy Ramachandran, provides financial support, mentoring, and training for a highly selective group of junior faculty members whose current research interests complement the Center’s theme of community-engaged research. The goal is to foster their development as independent investigators in environmental health science, while furthering the overall mission of the Center and the NIEHS.

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Applications for new awardees will re-open in 2024.

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Selection of Candidates

In order to attract promising young investigators to the Center, whose expertise complements that of current Center members, and whose research is centered on community-engaged research, we will provide 20% salary support and pilot research grant support for one junior faculty member each year.

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Candidates are solicited from various department chairs, division heads, and other leaders who are asked to submit one to three names of possible candidates for support, along with brief biographical sketches and descriptions of their anticipated career trajectories.

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The Executive Committee selects the candidates for support. The selection criteria used include the following: a) the appropriateness of the candidate’s research of interest to the mission of the Center and the NIEHS; b) an evaluation of a personal statement by the candidate; c) previous training; d) the likelihood that Center support and involvement will cultivate an appropriate NIEHS research proposal; e) a letter of recommendation from the nominating senior faculty member; and f) past research achievements.

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Mentorship and Oversight of Career Development

Each junior faculty member chosen to receive Center support is guided by a two-member mentorship team consisting of Dr. Gurumurthy Ramachandran, and the Center Director, Dr. Wills-Karp. This mentorship team meets with the junior faculty members regularly or as requested to monitor research progress and assess the overall progression of their career development, and to offer advice as needed.

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Activities of Awardees

Trainees are taught about the various K-awards available across the NIH, as well as R01 grant mechanisms. The Career Development teams works with awardees to grant proposal writing advise and review.

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The awardees attend the Center’s thematic research group meetings and the Departmental Grand Rounds series featuring world-class external experts in environmental health and engineering. In order for the supported trainees to learn new skills and take full advantage of the resources provided to investigators by the CHARMED Center, each trainee submits a pilot project proposal and conducts a community-engaged research project.

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The awardee is encouraged to utilize the Exposure Coordination and Modeling Core (ECMC) and Integrative Health Sciences Facility Cores (IHSCF) of the CHARMED Center. In particular, the ECMC offers an opportunity to learn basic skills concerning the appropriate collection and management of environmental samples, with expertise to conduct state-of-the-art exposure assessment and measurement of metals and airborne pollutants. The Integrative Health Science Facility Core (IHSFC) provides the opportunity to learn about collection of questionnaire data and biological samples, as well as IRB submission. Awardees are also encouraged to participate in workshops held by the CEC regarding best practices of community-engaged research, to participate in monthly community meetings, and to participate in the Summer Youth Environmental Justice (SY EJ) Scholars program.