Dean’s Scholar in Clinical Research

About the Program

The Dean’s Scholars in Clinical Research Program is a two-year mentored career development program for early-career physician faculty who are preparing for research independence in clinical or translational research. The program provides protected research time, research start up funds, mentorship, coaching, tuition reimbursement, and structured educational programming to help scholars build the skills, preliminary data, publications, and grant materials needed for competitive external funding. A third year of bridge funding is available for Scholars who have submitted an NIH K23/08 during the first 2 years of the award to support resubmission.

Scholar Eligibility

Physician-scientists (M.D. or D.O. who may have Ph.D. or master's degrees)
Applicants must have a faculty appointment at UTSW at the award start date. However, promising individuals may be nominated during the final year of training at UTSW or an outside institution as part of their recruitment.
Applicants within 5 years of completion of training are preferred, but exceptions can be made in special circumstances.
Applicants must be eligible to have at least 50% protected time for research and career development but are not required to be on a specific track.
Nominations for the program are made by the chair and division chief (if applicable) from the applicant’s primary appointment.
Successful applicants have a demonstrable track record of dedication to a career in translational, clinical, or community focused research and commitment to developing applications for NIH funding.
Those who have held or currently hold a K-type NIH CDA or equivalent award (institutional, society, foundation, or other funding source) are not eligible.
Those who have held or currently hold R01 or equivalent funding from another source as a PI are not eligible.

If you are not certain regarding eligibility, please CRAadmin@UTSouthwestern.edu us and include a detailed description of the funding mechanism in the email.

What Scholars Receive

The Dean’s Scholars in Clinical Research Program provides a structured, supportive environment for early-career investigators who are ready to make substantial progress toward research independence.

Scholars receive support in five integrated areas designed to launch their career:

Mentorship and coaching: individualized career mentorship, regular guidance from program leadership, and monthly writing coaching.
Protected time and research support: protected research and career development effort, start up funds for the proposed project, and resources to advance scholarly productivity.
Grant development: grant development programming and guidance in preparing materials for a competitive external funding application.
Cohort-based career development: participation in career development cohorts, specialized educational programming, and networking opportunities.
Accountability and feedback: Works in Progress presentations, structured feedback, progress monitoring, and support from mentors, writing coaches, and research development experts.

Scholar Support

The Dean’s office will provide:

Up to 50% salary support (up to the NIH salary cap) for two years. Chairs may provide additional protected time depending on candidate needs. Also, those who have successfully submitted a federal grant application (K or R) during the first two years of the Dean’s Scholars Program may be considered for a third year of protected research support.
Up to $50,000 per year for two years in startup funds matched by the department for a total of $100,000 per year of startup funding.
Tuition reimbursement for clinical research coursework at UTSW including courses offered under the Master’s in Clinical Investigation, Master’s in Health Informatics, and Master’s in Public Health degree programs.

The department chair of the Scholar’s primary department will be responsible for providing:

Any salary cost share above the NIH cap
Additional protected research time beyond 50% if appropriate

What Scholars Are Expected to Do

The program is designed for faculty who are prepared to use protected time and program resources intentionally. Successful scholars actively engage in three core areas: research progress, career development, and program participation.

Research Progress

Scholars are expected to maintain steady progress toward scholarly productivity and external funding by advancing the mentored research project proposed in the application, publishing manuscripts related to the Dean’s Scholar project, preparing and submitting grant applications, participating in individualized writing coaching at least monthly, and using protected time to advance research, training, and career development goals.

Career Development

Scholars are expected to invest actively in their development as academic researchers and future leaders by maintaining an Individual Development Plan, participating in career development cohort activities, meeting regularly with scientific mentors and the mentoring team, identifying training gaps, and aligning the career development plan, mentorship plan, and research project with future funding goals.

Program Participation and Accountability

Scholars are expected to demonstrate engagement and growth throughout the program by actively participating in career development activities, completing required progress reports, communicating proactively with program leadership, and responding constructively to feedback from mentors, reviewers, program leadership, and writing coaches.

Application

Application Format

The Dean’s Scholars in Clinical Research Program uses an application format that mirrors the structure and review priorities of NIH K23 and K08 mentored career development awards in an abbreviated format. Applicants should keep this NIH-style framework in mind as they prepare their materials.

The application should help reviewers determine whether the candidate, research project, mentorship team, career development plan, institutional support, and proposed use of program resources will position the applicant to submit a competitive NIH K23/K08, equivalent mentored career development award, R-series application, or other appropriate external funding mechanism within or shortly after the two-year program period.

Applicants should write for an NIH-style review audience. The research plan should be feasible within the two-year Dean’s Scholar award period and should generate the data, publications, skills, and mentorship structure needed for the applicant’s next external grant submission. The career development and mentorship sections should be developed as carefully as the research strategy, because the program is designed to support both scientific progress and transition to research independence.

How Applications Are Reviewed

Applications are reviewed using criteria aligned with NIH mentored career development award expectations. Reviewers consider the candidate’s readiness, research plan, mentorship team, career development plan, institutional support, and likelihood of progressing toward competitive external funding.

Applications are not evaluated solely on the research project. Strong applications demonstrate alignment among the candidate’s career goals, training needs, mentorship plan, project feasibility, departmental support, and next anticipated funding mechanism.

Nomination Requirement

Candidates must be nominated by the chair of their department (must have a primary appointment in a clinical department) at UT Southwestern. The nominating department must commit to protected research and career development effort for the full two-year award period and provide the required departmental support described in the application instructions.

Application Timeline

Nominations for the current application cycle open August 3, 2026, and close December 1, 2026.

Apply Now Application Instructions Application Scoring Rubric