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Grow with ICTR

Career Development Programs

ICTR strives to develop a broad and multidisciplinary clinical and translational research workforce. Our mentored career development programs provide structured and customized guidance and support to researchers across career stages. ICTR scholars and trainees come from our partner schools and colleges on campus (Medicine & Public Health, Education, Nursing, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, and Engineering), the Marshfield Clinic, and the wider spectrum of UW-Madison schools and colleges.

Career Development Awards

overhead shot of the HSLC atrium and poster session
KL2 Scholars
The KL2 program provides early-career faculty with the training, mentorship, and protected time necessary to develop an independent research career. Scholars receive two-year awards that can be extended based on scholarly progress and need.
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TL1 Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Training Programs
The TL1 pre-doctoral and post-doctoral awards support UW-Madison trainees from varied backgrounds with research interests in translational science. Support includes funding/stipends, courses and workshops, and individualized mentorship.
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BIRCWH
Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health
The BIRCWH program provides mentored research career development support for early-career faculty who wish to develop independent careers focused on women’s health or sex differences research.
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Mentored Professional Development Programs

ADEPT
ADEPT is a mentored professional development program for PhD students enrolled part-time in a graduate program that supports clinical and translational science. ADEPT provides a supportive environment for career advancement and opportunities to connect with institutional leaders in the health sciences.
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AHEAD
AHEAD is a mentored professional development program for UW–Madison postdoctoral scholars working in the health sciences conducting research related to health for all and health differences.
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STRIDE
STRIDE is a mentored professional development program designed for early career faculty in the translational research workforce whose research focuses on addressing health challenges and improving health for all.
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“It’s different kinds of support like emotional and social support with sort of the traditional informational and tangible aspects of career counseling but matching that with the community and with kind of ‘come as you are’ feeling of it – I think is pretty unique. I thought the AHEAD program does that really beautifully and well. I don’t think I’ve come across anything either in my pre-doctoral time at UW that has that particular merge of support.”

2021 AHEAD Participant

“I was feeling quite overwhelmed and lost without true mentorship as I was starting my tenure-track position. I wasn’t sure where to start and how to best invest my time. The STRIDE seminars were a fantastic training opportunity and a wealth of strategic resources that helped me get oriented in my new position, without continuing to make me overwhelmed (which I have experienced in other seminars).”

STRIDE ALUMNUS, 2023-2024