Our Approach

To train junior investigators, National Institutes of Health has historically used Research Skills Development Core grants, provided to selected centers, for their candidates to receive intensive local training, education, and mentoring in focused areas. The Pediatric Heart Network Scholars Program took a novel, more inclusive, team science approach and embedded a scholarship program into its successful multi-center research framework.

Becoming a PHN Scholar

For junior investigators, it can be challenging to find time and funding to work on new research ideas. To protect the time of promising young investigators this unique training program has created a framework for successful competition for the K award or alternative sources of extramural funding.

The goals of this unique training program are to:

1. Provide an established network structure for the scholars/mentors to conduct their projects and execute their career development plan
2. Facilitate cross-germination of ideas and collaborative multidisciplinary mentoring across all PHN core centers
3. Encourage engagement in PHN activities
4. Leverage use of PHN resources
5. Teach regulatory documentation
6. Promote presentations and publications for academic advancement

A PHN Scholar candidate must be from one of the PHN core centers and intend to pursue formal research funding to support an academic career.

The following individuals are eligible:

• MD or PhD within 5 years of completion of their last fellowship at the time of funding
• Categorical fellows at the time of funding
• Post-categorical fellows accepted in advanced training subspecialty programs
• Pre-doctoral/doctoral nurses already undertaking research