Mentored Career Development Program (KL2)
The KL2 program equips a cohort of independent faculty with the training and support needed to conduct exceptional clinical and translational research.
About KL2 Program
The KL2 program equips a cohort of independent faculty with the training and support needed to conduct exceptional clinical and translational research. KL2 Scholars receive training and mentorship in multi-disciplinary, team-based, and patient-oriented clinical and translational research. KL2 Scholars become leaders and innovators in their respective professional fields and departments.
Based on a NIH-style competitive application process, a scientific review panel selects scholars to develop their research portfolios by receiving 75% salary support for up to five years. 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.
The Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) continues to accept applications from highly qualified candidates from across the country each year.
Research Interests
To date, KL2 scholars at CTSC have been drawn from a variety of disciplines, including pharmaceutical sciences, pediatrics, and neurology. KL2 scholars have studied viral outbreaks in children, the mechanisms behind alcohol and intimate partner violence, and non-invasive methods of altering brain plasticity.
KL2 Scholars
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Eliseo Castillo, PhD "Uncontrolled inflammation can be debilitating, and can lead to life-threatening complications. My work focuses on understanding the genetic factors that underlie inflammatory responses." |
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Brandi Fink, PhD "I'm curious about people and why they do the things they do. I care about kids having good outcomes. And that starts with the parents and the environment parents' interactions create." |
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Kathryn Frietze, PhD “Antibodies are important mediators of the immune response to infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. I am interested in characterizing the role of specific antibody responses and translating this knowledge into new diagnostic and prognostic tests, therapeutics, and vaccines.” |
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Justin Baca, MD, PhD "Chronic pain is one of the most difficult conditions to treat, especially in the Emergency Department setting. I seek to understand how and why chronic pain develops after certain infections My team and I also work with a broad range of clinicians, engineers, and entrepreneurs to develop and test new point-of-care technologies." |
Need more Information?

Associate Director, CTSC
Director, KL2 Mentored Career Development
Request CTSC Services
CTSC Research Concierge
CTSC Administration Office
900 Camino de Salud NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131
Phone: 505-272-6042