GOAL: The VUMC Discovery Scholars in Health and Medicine Program (DSP) will ensure the recruitment and development of the most talented basic scientists (MD, PhD and MD/PhD) in the United States.

CHALLENGE & APPROACH: Currently, VUMC faculty experience limited success in obtaining the most prestigious basic science awards for junior faculty (Pew, Beckman, Searle, Sloan, Burroughs Wellcome, HHMI Early Career (when available), etc.). In addition to enhancing VUMC’s national reputation and funding, these awards are positive predictors of HHMI and NAS membership. Also, a primary goal of the VUMC research enterprise is to increase publications in the highest profile journals that publish basic science research. The VUMC DSP was created to address these challenges. The DSP is a competitive program that will support up to 1-2 highly qualified faculty candidates per year in basic science research across all VUMC departments. In the event that competitive applicants are not identified in a given fiscal year, the DSP will reserve funding for future years.

RESOURCES & DEPARTMENTAL COMMITMENT: VUMC will supplement each Discovery Scholar start-up package with approximately $100,000 using the Brock Family Directorship in Career Development endowment. These funds will be added as a supplement to the typical start-up package offered by the primary department leading the recruitment of the identified DSP Scholar. In addition, nominating Departments will commit to providing funds to support 2 years of 10-20% effort of a data scientist who will collaborate with the Discovery Scholars to help advance their research program. The collaborating faculty could be in informatics, statistics, imaging science, or some other area based on the research topic of the Discovery Scholar. A second component of the start-up package provided to DSP Scholars will be full salary coverage for four years or until the Scholar obtains external funding, whereupon salary coverage will be adjusted accordingly. Funds for the latter would be provided by the department(s) and center(s)/institute(s) involved in recruiting the Scholar. Faculty enrolled in the DSP will be provided intense and committed mentoring by the DSP Executive Committee (and assigned peer-to-peer mentoring) with the goal of focusing on paradigm-shifting, high-impact discoveries that deemphasize incremental advances in an effort to secure R01 funding.

SELECTION: Each VUMC Department may nominate two candidates per year for the DSP. DSP applications will be evaluated by a DSP Executive Committee comprised of senior VUMC faculty with proven success in research. Scholars will be chosen from faculty hired in the last 18 months (~fall 2020 and later.) In subsequent years, selected candidates will be recruited through offers that provide highly competitive and enhanced start-up packages. Once the DSP is firmly established, outstanding junior faculty who are currently at VUMC could be enrolled in the DSP.

PROGRAM EVALUATION: Following the five-year launch period, the DSP will be evaluated in three areas: (i) The number of young investigator awards, including those offered by the Pew, Searle Scholars, Beckman, and Burroughs Wellcome Fund; (ii) The number of publications in high profile journals defined as impact factor greater than 10; and (iii) The total amount of funding awarded to each DSP scholar.  Also, the Scholars’ accomplishments will be compared to those of basic science junior faculty (MD, PhD and MD/PhD) hired in VUMC outside of the DSP during a similar time period.

2021 NOMINATION PROCESS:  

Each VUMC Department may nominate two candidates for the DSP. Nominees should be tenure-track Assistant Professors hired in the last 18 months or currently being recruited. Nominees should be less than 3 years from their last training experience (typically postdoc) and must be pursuing basic science research in a VUMC department.

Department Chairs or Vice-Chairs should submit the following nomination materials as a single pdf via https://redcap.link/DSP2021 by 5 p.m. on Sept. 1, 2021. Please send any questions about the program to katelyn.poole@vumc.org.