Research Excellence Across U of U Health (REACH)
Providing structured mentorship to early-career University of Utah faculty is a critical resource in assisting them to obtain competitive research funding and sustain high-impact investigative programs within their laboratories.
Our Mission
This program is specifically designed to support University faculty in successfully obtaining their second R01 award, or equivalent level of external research funding, an essential milestone in establishing sustained, independent research careers. Our mission is to expand mentorship opportunities led by senior investigators for early-career faculty, with an emphasis on aspects of a scientific career in academic medicine that are not currently addressed by formal institutional mentoring programs. All activities are designed to be achievable within existing resources and to produce clear, measurable outcomes that reflect meaningful career advancement.
Program Activities
A. Upon entry into the REACH Program, mentees will complete a Scholar Development Plan (SDP) that will be reviewed with their REACH Mentoring Team. The SDP will be used to identify any other mentoring or educational gaps that the mentee needs.
B. Mentees will review with their REACH Mentoring Team the specific aims and review sheets of their first R01 or equivalent. This will allow the Mentoring Team to understand the foundation upon which the mentee is building for their second R01 or equivalent application. If the mentee has submitted their second R01 or equivalent, but it was not funded, they will also provide the specific aims and review sheets of this second R01 or equivalent to their Mentoring Team.
C. Mentees will be given feedback on their summary and specific aims for the second R01 they are preparing. They may also receive feedback on other aspects of their second R01 or equivalent grant. Extramural grants will be submitted through the mentees' department. Funded grants will be managed by the mentees' department.
D. Mentees will be invited to present at U2M2 Chalk Talk, where they will receive feedback on their second R01 or equivalent grant in preparation.
E. Mentees will meet with their U2M2 Mentoring Team to review progress on their grant in preparation. These meetings may also be used to advise mentees on other aspects of their scientific career. As appropriate, mentees will be encouraged to participate in relevant institutional activities centered on grant writing, building a research career, and related activities.
F. Where needed, mentees will receive support, training, and/or mentorship on aspects of pre- and post-award grant support and best practices in scientific graphics and presentation.
G. The mentees will meet upon entry into the program and annually, where scientific progress and other aspects of career development (e.g., lab management, budgets, time management) will be discussed.
H. Mid-way through and at the end of the program, mentees and the REACH Mentoring Team will meet to evaluate progress towards goals. A written evaluation of the mentee's progress will be completed by the U2M2 Mentoring Team and shared with the mentee's departmental chair and mentors.