CCTST K Scholars Program receives NIH K12 grant

Since its inception in 2009, the K Scholars Program has supported more than 50 early-career MD and PhD investigators at both the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's, who aspire to lead clinical and translational programs of research from a broad range of disciplines across the academic health system. The K Scholars Program serves as a training step, leading to successful submissions of first grants for external funding — typically an NIH mentored research career development award, or for some, an independent R-level award.

"The K12 program is one of the powerful ways the CCTST brings its mission to life. Year after year, this program cultivates exceptional clinical and translational scientists who are passionate about making real improvements in people’s health and well-being," said CCTST Co-Director Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, executive associate director of the Cincinnati Children’s Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Medicine professor of pediatrics and associate dean for clinical and translational science and training. "These scholars don’t just contribute, they lead — leaving a national footprint and helping create a healthier, better world for all of us."

The program is backed by strong leadership, including Director Meg H. Zeller, PhD, who is principal investigator, research psychologist in the Cincinnati Children’s Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology and UC College of Medicine professor of pediatrics. Associate Director Moises A. Huaman, MD, is an associate professor in the UC College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine and alumnus of the K Scholars program. The program is also supported by Krista Metz, administrative director, accomplished faculty mentoring teams and extensive cross-institutional resources. 

Beyond salary and research project support, this unique cohort-based program offers an individualized approach that bridges disciplinary boundaries, combines didactic learning with experiential training and emphasizes research outputs that drive real-world impact for all people and communities. Scholars engage in bi-monthly meetings featuring rotating speakers and "work in progress" presentations. 

In addition to a translational mentoring team, peer mentoring is a cornerstone of the program and widely credited by alumni for scholars’ success. Program alums are highly successful investigators, having collectively produced nearly 2,000 peer-reviewed publications and generated more than $450 million in direct costs. Additionally, 95% continue to conduct clinical and translational research. 

"The renewal of the K Scholars Program is essential to advancing the College of Medicine’s research mission," said Brett Kissela, MD, executive vice dean and senior associate dean of clinical research for the UC College of Medicine, professor in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, chief of research services at UC Health and director of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute. "By providing dedicated mentorship and protected time for research, the program cultivates highly productive, multidisciplinary clinical and translational scientists who go on to become leaders in their fields. This, in turn, strengthens the collaborative biomedical research community across both UC and Cincinnati Children’s. We are excited to receive continued funding for this program, which will train the next generation of research leaders."

The program will accept Letter of Intent submissions for the 2026-2028 cohort from Oct. 27-Nov. 24, 2025.  For more information, please visit the CCTST website. 

Featured image at top: CCTST K Scholars Program leaders. From left to right: Krista Metz; Meg Zeller, PhD; and Moises Huaman, MD. Photo/Emma Jones/CCTST.