Request for Proposals

Center for Advancement of Child Health (CAtCH)

NIH CHRCDA K12 Program
2025 Request for Applications

  • Applications due April 30, 2025
    For appointment(s) beginning in July 2025

Duke Center for Advancement of Child Health (CAtCH) recruits outstanding early-career physician-scientists and supports them through a structured, mentored, career development program to become independent pediatric researchers. The program represents a “launchpad” for physician-scientists’ careers, providing a critical period of protected time to develop research skills, publish in high-impact journals, and apply for and secure external funding to successfully transition to independence.

CAtCH RFP Figure

Program Summary

Leadership

Ann Reed, MD and Corinne Linardic, MD, PhD (MPIs)
Mai ElMallah, MD, MS (Training Director)
Granting Mechanism National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Child Health Research Career Development Award (CHRCDA) Program (K12-HD105253)
Candidates Junior faculty on a research track with primary appointment in the Pediatrics Department; must hold an MD, DO, or MD/PhD and completed residency in Pediatrics.
Appointment Duration One year; second year pending availability of funds
Research Focus

Basic/Translational laboratory-based research focused on and directly relevant to child health
Next RFA Spring 2025
Website Duke Center for Advancement of Child Health (CAtCH)
Contact Katie Misuraca, PhD (katherine.misuraca@duke.edu)

Candidate Requirements

  • Candidates will be required to have an MD or DO degree (or MD/DO and PhD), be US Citizens or permanent residents, have completed postgraduate residency in pediatrics, be no more than 4 years after attaining board eligibility in their subspecialty, have prior research experience, and be committed to a research-intensive career as an academic pediatrician.  
  • Candidates will hold a junior faculty appointment (Medical Instructor or Assistant Professor) in the Department of Pediatrics.  
  • Research Focus: We are requesting applications from individuals conducting basic or translational research related to any area of child health.
  • Scholars will be selected for 1 year of support beginning in July 2025; second year of support is contingent upon availability of funds. Applicants should discuss their proposed timeline with department leadership prior to applying.
  • Individuals selected for this honor will be designated CAtCH Scholars, and once appointed, will be required to devote at least 75% protected time for K12-related research and activities, will receive funds for research-related expenses ($25,000), and will be expected to submit an external career development award application by the end of the first year of funding. 

*Please discuss with your division chief if you are interested. 

Mentors

Candidates should be working with a well-funded established research mentor prior to applying.  Mentors are required to provide a letter of support for the candidate as part of the application (see Application Components below).  Please review the list of approved CAtCH Mentors here.  If an applicant wishes to work with an alternative mentor not included in the list, they may propose it in their application. 

Application Components

1. NIH Style Biosketch for Applicant

Please provide an NIH Style Biosketch, conforming to all requirements as specified by NIH for non-fellowship applications (click here for a blank template).  Instructions can be found here. Please note, you can continue to use the current biosketch template for use with NIH applications before May 25, 2025.

2. Research Project and Career Development Plans (2 pages total)

  • In no more than 1 page, please provide a description of your research project planned for your CAtCH appointment; use the format of a Specific Aims page.
  • In no more than 1 page, please provide a description of your career goals, a career development plan during your K12 appointment and beyond, and a specific plan/timeline for applying for an external career development award by the end of 1 year of K12 support. 

3. Mentor Letter and Biosketch

Instructions for the mentor:  Please provide a letter of support for the candidate and detail your commitment to the candidate’s career development, the specific role you intend to play in his/her career development, and your prior experience with mentoring.  Please also provide an NIH style Biosketch.

4. Letter of Support from your Division Chief

Instructions for the division chief:  Please provide a letter of support for the candidate, confirming his/her ability to devote 75% of their time to K12 research and related activities if selected and detailing their clinical commitments during their potential K12 period of support.  Please reach out to the MPIs with any questions.

Submit Application

Please combined the above components into a single pdf, with the following naming convention: “applicant last name_CAtCH_2025”.  Email the application by 11:59pm April 30, 2025 to:  PediatricResearch@duke.edu.

Review Criteria

Briefly, selection criteria will include applicant career goals and commitment to a career in academic research, research focus to align with programmatic goals discussed above, mentor selection, and research plan. Applicants may be contacted to schedule interviews with CAtCH leadership, which would also be considered in the overall evaluation of each application.