Mentored Career Development Program (MCDP)

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center Mentored Career Development Program (also known as the K-12 program) was initiated in June 2006 with a call for applications from junior faculty from the School of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and College of Nursing. Based on an NIH-style competitive application process, three scholars were selected in 2006 and one in 2007 by the review panel to receive 75% salary support for up to 5 years to dedicate to developing their research portfolio.

The K-12 program supports the research career development of clinical researchers who have recently completed professional training and who are commencing basic, translational and/or clinical research.  The goal of this program is to foster the discipline of clinical research and, by increasing clinical research capacity, to expedite clinical and translational research.  For more information, please email Ignacio Ortiz.

2006 Scholars

  Alberta Kong, MD, MPH
  Project: "Type 2 Diabetes Prevention in Adolescent School-Based Health Centers"
  Mentors: Sally Davis, PhD & Mark Burge, MD
 "My research is designed to assess adolescent obesity management using telemedicine technology in
  school-based health centers.”- Dr. Kong

 

  Akshay Sood, MD, MPH
  Project:  "Adiposity, Activity and Asthma: A Clinical Translational Study"
  Mentors: Mark Schuyler, MD & Marianne Berwick, PhD
  "My research is designed to understand whether high body fat or decreased physical activity is
  contributing to the increasing occurrence of asthma in the United States." -Dr. Sood

 

2007 Scholar

  Jennifer Taylor-Cousar, MD
  Project: "The Role of Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors in Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease"
  Mentors: Vojo Deretic, PhD & Robin Ohls, MD
  "My research project is designed to determine whether use of phosphodiesterase inhibitors such as
  sildenafil can correct one of the basic defects that contributes to the development of lung disease in
  cystic fibrosis." -Dr. Taylor-Cousar

 

Former Scholars

  Amit Pai, PharmD
  Project: "Brain Antifungal Pharmacodynamics: Use of 19F-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and
  Microdialysis"
  Mentor: C. Rick Lyons, MD, PhD
  "My research is designed to develop a novel, noninvasive method for measuring brain concentrations
   of antimicrobials." -Dr. Pai

  Dr. Pai was selected as a scholar in 2006 and has since accepted a position at the Institute for Clinical
  Pharmacodynamics (www.icpd.com) in Albany, NY. Congratulations Dr. Pai!