NCCIH Research Blog

Melissa Treviño, Ph.D.
Health Program Specialist
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Are you an early career clinician-scientist interested in enhancing your research career? You may want to consider the KL2 Administrative Supplement Program for Complementary and Integrative Health Clinician-Scientists. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is collaborating with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through its Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program to support early career complementary and integrative health clinician-scientists with clinical and translational research training opportunities.

Clinician-scientists are essential to the biomedical workforce; they provide clinical insights throughout translational science. However, the pathway for clinician-scientists with complementary and integrative health degrees may be challenging due to various credentialing standards and limited research opportunities.

The NCCIH KL2 Administrative Supplement leverages the CTSA program network to enhance and foster research training for scholars with clinical doctoral degrees in complementary and integrative health practices, such as naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, and other practices. KL2 scholars receive mentorship, formal coursework, translational research experience, and access to CTSA resources for a rich career development experience in a multidisciplinary setting. The program prepares scholars to compete successfully for NIH funding and become independent investigators. NCCIH will support up to $100,000 per year in salary support and up to $25,000 per year to conduct research for at least 2 years of mentored research training.

How will the NCCIH supplements to NCATS KL2 work?

The program directors/principal investigators (PD/PIs) of active CTSA KL2 programs will recruit and nominate eligible scholars for an NCCIH KL2 administrative supplement award. Selected scholars will be immersed in the KL2 program and receive an individualized program of translational science education and career development within a multidisciplinary setting. The proposed mentored research experience can include basic, mechanistic, clinical, or observational research on a natural product or mind and body approach, must align with the NCCIH strategic plan and high-priority topics, and should provide a foundation for subsequent grant applications. NCCIH will support pilot studies, formative work, feasibility studies, observational studies, and/or secondary analyses but will not support applications proposing to examine efficacy, effectiveness, or “preliminary efficacy.”

Am I eligible to apply?

Candidates must have a doctoral clinical complementary and integrative health degree (e.g., DAOM, D.C., D.O., D.P.T., and/or N.D.) and be a citizen or noncitizen national of the United States or lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of award. Candidates must have a staff appointment at the application institution or a partnering institution at time of award. Candidates cannot be former PD/PI of R01, P01, R29, or a K-award and cannot have a pending K-award application that duplicates any part of the KL2 at time of award.

How do I apply?

Applications are due on October 3, 2022. Only the PD/PIs of active CTSA KL2 programs can apply. Interested scholars are encouraged to use RePORTER to identify and directly contact the PD/PIs of active CTSA KL2 programs to discuss a potential application. PD/PIs of CTSA KL2 programs who have identified a potential scholar are encouraged to contact lanay.mudd@nih.gov or melissa.trevino@nih.gov to discuss potential scholars and research plans prior to application. 

We strongly urge all potential applicants to read through the entire text of the Notice of Special Interest (NOT-AT-20-010).

For More Information

• Notice of Special Interest: NCCIH Administrative Supplements to NCATS CTSA Programs for Scholars Pursuing Complementary Health Research Career Development (NOT-AT-20-010)
• NCATS CTSA Program Frequently Asked Questions for NCCIH Administrative Supplements
• NCCIH Administrative Supplements for Scholars Pursuing Complementary Health Research Career Development (Message and video from Dr. Lanay Mudd [August 5, 2021])