Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program

We are pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the RePORT International Coordinating Center (RICC) Post-doctoral Fellowship. 

Summary

The RePORT International Coordinating Center (RICC) is an NIH-supported consortium currently supporting TB research in eight countries (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, and Uganda). The mission is to advance regional and international TB and TB/HIV science, strengthen TB/HIV research capacity and infrastructure, and foster research collaboration. The RICC coordinates the planning and implementation of research in TB and TB/HIV across all the RePORT networks and establishes and maintains the required infrastructure to enable such research.

Applications are now being accepted for the RICC Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program, which will provide each selected candidate with two years of training support and one-to-one mentorship from an experienced faculty member in the RePORT network. The primary objective of this program is for the RICC Fellows to become independent TB researchers, recognized leaders of the RePORT Consortium and mentors for the next generation of early-stage investigators (ESI).

Fellowship Support

• A $25,000 stipend for the Fellow per year for two years (Total $50,000)
• Specific online courses and webinars focused on developing TB research competencies
• Access to strategic technical support consultations, including data management, biostatistics, research ethics, study design, implementation science and community engagement from RICC experts to support the development of their research proposal
• Frequent opportunities to present research proposals to other fellows, mentors and experts for advice and feedback
• Support for 5% of the fellows’ faculty mentors’ time full-time effort (FTE) for up to two years.

Review Criteria

The primary objective of this program is for the RICC Fellows to become independent TB researchers, and recognized leaders of the RePORT Consortium and mentors for the next generation of early-stage investigators (ESI). This objective will be the primary consideration in the review and ranking of applicants. Additional criteria include:

• Quality of the proposed research concept
• Quality of the proposed training and mentorship plan
• Alignment of the proposed research concept with the RICC mission to advance regional and international TB and TB/HIV science, strengthen TB/HIV research capacity and infrastructure, and foster research collaboration
• Likelihood that the proposed Fellowship Program will advance the candidate’s professional goals

Fellow Responsibilities

The RICC Fellowship Program will support an individualized training and mentorship plan that will include some required coursework, additional training/courses. Successful completion of the RICC Fellowship will require the following:

• Attendance of at least two meetings per month with their mentor to present and discuss their research proposal development progress
• Completion of RICC-directed curriculum to enhance TB-related knowledge. These courses may be asynchronous or synchronous.
• Submission of a final full research project proposal/grant approved by your mentor to the RICC CSWG
• Submission of a final full research project proposal/grant approved by your mentors to a potential funder and/or sponsor (e.g., RICC, RePORT, NTP, USAID Mission, US NIH, MRC, TB REACH, etc.)
• Publication of at least one first-authored peer-reviewed, PubMed-registered manuscript
• Complete a brief quarterly progress report

Monitoring and Evaluation of the Mentorship Program

The CSWG will monitor the Fellow’s progress throughout the program and assess the quality of the training and mentorship provided. The CSWG will review the following:

• Quarterly progress reports submitted by the mentor
• Quarterly progress reports submitted by the fellow
• Fellow attendance and performance in RICC on-line courses, webinars, presentations, and other deliverables

The CSWG will perform a mentorship review every 6 months. CSWG approval will be required to release installments of FTE support for the mentors. The mentors are welcome and encouraged to meet with the RICC CSWG to discuss any concerns or questions.