The KL2 Scholars Program is pleased to announce the selection of three new scholars, who began their appointments on July 1, 2026. They are:
Tanner Bommersbach, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Primary Mentor: Marguerite Burns, PhD (Dept. of Population Health Sciences)
Melisa Carrasco McCaul, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology
Primary Mentors: Jennifer Kwon, MD, MPH (Dept. of Neurology) and Haley Vlach, PhD (Dept. of Educational Psychology)
Neil Munjal, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Primary Mentor: Matthew Churpek, MD, PhD, MPH (Dept. of Medicine)
Left to right: Dr. Tanner Bommersbach, Dr. Melisa Carrasco McCaul, and Dr. Neil Munjal
Supported by the NIH NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Awards program, the KL2 Program helps promising early-stage faculty scholars develop independent research careers and transition to NIH research grant support.
A seasoned mentorship team with expertise in clinical and translational science provides support and guidance to the scholars, who are appointed for two years, with the possibility of a third year.
Receiving a KL2 award is a prestigious career milestone. Since the founding of ICTR’s KL2 program in 2007, 92 scholars have completed the program. Collectively, these alumni have produced 3,910 publications and secured 741 grants totaling over $934 million.
The three new scholars join nine who are continuing from previous award cycles. Browse all current KL2 scholars on the program webpage.