Training Activities

As described in the table that follows, training will comprise five major activities.
Also indicated are ranges for weekly time expenditures.

Activity	Description
Mentorship 3 – 5 hours/week	Fellows will: (1) meet individually with mentors; and (2) participate in project-focused meetings with other fellows and their mentors. In either case, discussion topics will include development of individual research training plans, review of progress, and career planning. Problem solving related to research projects, identifying resources, successful grant writing, and manuscript preparation will also be discussed. Individual or project-focused meetings will also focus on special topics (e.g., choosing software for logistic regression, techniques for dealing with missing data, effectively recruiting research participants)
Didactics 3 – 5 hours/week	Completion of graduate and other courses; attendance at VCUMC grand rounds, professional meetings and conferences
Independent Research 12 - 16 hours/week	Design and implementation of projects for which fellows take the leadership role, includes preparing manuscripts for publication and presentation at scientific meetings
Collaborative Research 10 - 12 hours/week	Design and implementation of projects for which fellows take a secondary, supporting role, includes preparing manuscripts for publication and presentation at scientific meetings
Grant Writing 4 – 6 hours/week	Planning independent research, seeking out support funds, and successfully completing and submitting grant application

Fellows will be required to commit no less than two years to the training program. As desired, some fellows may extend their fellowship for another 6 months. Ideally, fellows will commit 100% of their effort to research. Nevertheless, some fellows may wish to complete the requirements for licensure in their field, and they will be permitted to do so. Still, all fellows will be required to spend no less than 36 hours per week involved in research activities.