UM KUHR Administrative Core

The Program Leads of the UM KUHR training program are responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the training program and ensuring that programmatic tasks are carried out appropriately and in a timely fashion. The Program Leads are also be members of the Selection and Monitoring Committee which advises and assists the Program Leads in making decisions regarding important operational and policy-level aspects of the training program as well as recruiting candidates, interviewing, and selecting high quality trainees, advising, and approving trainee research plans, selecting appropriate preceptors, coordinating research opportunities, and evaluating both the trainees’ and training program’s performance. This involves the integration of KUH domains within a comprehensive training program. As this multi-disciplinary approach requires relevant experience in each content area, the multiple PI/PD model was chosen. This co-leadership paradigm and vision highlight the complementary skills brought to the training program by each PI/PD and offer a truly interdisciplinary approach from top to bottom to optimize the experience for trainees. The Program Leads meet monthly and work closely on all aspects of the program direction and interface with the U2C PIs and Core and Associate Leads through the Leadership Committee to ensure expertise both across disciplines as well as the translational spectrum to provide appropriate and diverse opportunities for the trainees.

The Internal Advisory Board serves an internal advisory function to ensure that the program is meeting its stated goal and to make recommendations for improvement and growth. Specifically, this committee is involved in all substantive decisions related to programmatic policies and oversight, program faculty preceptor selection policies and determination, adjudication and grievance/conflict resolution and remediation.

The External Evaluation Board in consultation with the NIDDK Program officials consist of faculty from peer Nephrology, Urology and Hematology training programs. The purpose of this board is to evaluate the program’s operations and progress towards meeting program goals and provide guidance for improvement. The board members are selected based on their content expertise, prior training record, and academic appointments to ensure that program operations are aligned with achieving its goal of cultivating academic-scientists and to identify opportunities to evolve training in ways that further enrich the professional development of the trainees. The External Evaluation Board convenes annually.

For trainees who cannot successfully approach their own mentor or any others on the Selection and Monitoring Committee to solve problems or grievances, the UM Office of the Staff Ombuds offers free and confidential services to help all university members maintain a positive working environment, including individual assessments and options, communication and conflict coaching, group facilitation and feedback to leaders regarding systemic issues.  We inform trainees of the existence and identity of the UM Ombudsperson upon their entry into the program. Site specific ombudsmen for regional trainees are similarly available at home institutions.

The Selection and Monitoring Committee is responsible for all decisions related to selection, appointments, mentoring assessments and advancements of the trainees. The Selection and Monitoring Committee meet biannually and interview and select trainees for program entry, assess trainee progress, preceptor-mentee pairings, and faculty preceptor reviews. Importantly, they discuss and address at every meeting ongoing recruitment and diversity issues as well as the balance of KUH disciplines in trainee selection. They address trainee and/or preceptor conflicts should they arise. Action plans for implementation of change to the program’s scientific direction are developed as needed and are conducted with input from the Internal Advisory Board and External Evaluation Board.

Although many UM faculty are actively involved in KUH-related research, preceptors in the UM KUHR were carefully selected based on specific criteria: 1) research expertise, 2) alignment of research goals with those of the training program, 3) peer-reviewed publications, 4) NIH or equivalent funding, 5) experience training young investigators, 6) reflect diversity, 7) commitment to participation and collaboration in TL1 activities and 8) promotion of interdisciplinary programs. We have selected a total of 72 Program Faculty Preceptors which includes 11 external faculty outside UM and 11 early-stage preceptors based on the above criteria. Applications for TL1 program faculty membership are accepted on a rolling basis and are reviewed and approved by the Leadership Committee of the Administrative Core, U2C. A survey is sent to each of the Program Faculty Preceptors at the end of each calendar year for their feedback to ask them to describe their current involvement, and to list their planned or desired involvement for the subsequent year. Each member of the program faculty invests approximately 5% mentoring effort concurrent with ongoing research. Faculty who remain in the program are expected to demonstrate concrete evidence of participation including: 1)weekly one-hour one-on-one sessions in the research environment, 2) additional ad hoc meetings with mentee as necessary to ensure success, and 3) attendance and participation in appropriate journal clubs, seminars and research meetings with mentee, and 4) completion of mentor training requirements. All preceptors are also required to attend the UM KUHR Annual Regional Research Retreat which is a one-day symposium where preceptors and trainees from UM and our Regional partner institutions meet, present ongoing work, and discuss progress. Along with the trainee presentations, this meeting is used to update the program faculty on all proceedings of the past year and the plans for the coming year. Issues such as recruitment and general requirements for program membership and quality mentoring are reviewed and discussed along with any plans for changes/updates to programmatic structure or curriculum. The meeting also serves as a forum for PIs, Program Leads, Professional Development and Networking Cores Leads and Co-leads, Selection and Monitoring Committee, Internal Advisory Board and External Evaluation Board members to gain broader program faculty input.