The Health Services Research & Development Career Development Program is designed to foster the research career of junior entry and mid-level VA physicians and Ph.D. trained investigators with special qualifications and interest in health services research and development. The Program offers three areas in career development:

The Research Career Development (RCD) Award is for three years and is designed to provide salary and research support to a fully trained clinician who is entering, or has recently entered, a research career, shows evidence of research competence, and who has potential to become an independent investigator. The goal for awardees is to develop sufficient proficiency to compete for research funding by the end of the appointment, though they may not yet be fully independent researchers.

The Research Career Scientist Award is designed to provide up to a five-year salary assurance to selected junior Ph.D. scientists who have demonstrated evidence of sustained productivity in a focused HSR&D area. Awards are renewable indefinitely. The Research Career Scientist must be in receipt of VA Research funding or must have received such funding in the past, followed by other national peer-reviewed research support.

The Advanced Research Career Development (ARCD) Award is a three-year, non-renewable award designed to support clinical scientists who have some research experience, but are not completely independent and need additional guided research experience to become fully independent. The Awardee's primary laboratory must be located in the Durham VA facility and the research program of the awardee should enrich the overall research program of the Durham VA Medical Center, especially in areas of high relevance to the VA.

Who to Contact
For more information about Durham's HSR&D Career Development Program, contact Eugene Z. Oddone, M.D., MHSc oddon001@mc.duke.edu