Program Overview

Introduction to the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute

The Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (OCTRI) is dedicated to supporting early-career faculty in their transition to research independence. The mission of the OCTRI KL2 Program is to identify and support promising faculty who may benefit from OCTRI support and resources in their efforts to obtain independent research funding.

Program Overview

The OCTRI KL2 Program is designed to provide a two-year career development award to pursue translational science. Awardees are given protected clinical and translational research training time, formal didactic and experiential training, intensive research experience, and multidisciplinary mentorship.

Key Program Activities and Outcomes

• Activities:
  • Individual development plan
  • Customized research curriculum
  • Scholar-led weekly Works in Progress
  • Quarterly benchmark assessments
  • Extramural grant development support
  • Priority support from OCTRI services
  • OCTRI Research Forum seminars
  • Monthly bulletin tailored to early career opportunities and resources
  • Small grant program for CTRC support
• Outcomes:
  • 89% of cohort have independent research funding
  • 87% of cohort have R01 or equivalent

Program Benefits

Recipients of the KL2 Program receive a range of benefits, including:

• An individualized research and career development plan
• Educational programs tailored to the scholar, including enrollment in the Human Investigations Program, which offers a Master of Clinical Research, certificate, and/or non-degree courses
• Mentorship and support
• Access to OCTRI resources, including regulatory/IRB and study start up, biostatistics, research design, community engagement, informatics, and services from the Clinical & Translational Research Center
• KL2 and OCTRI Scholar community

Scholar Support

• Salary support not to exceed $100,000 annually
• $30,000 research and travel expenses annually
• 0.75 FTE protected research time
• Two years (total) of funding, contingent on progress and availability of funding

Eligibility

The OCTRI KL2 Program is open to researchers from OHSU and regional partners, including Portland State University, Oregon State University, and University of Oregon. Candidates must:

• Be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident of the U.S.
• Hold a clinical or research doctorate (e.g., MD/DO, DMD/DDS, DNP, PharmD, ND, OD, DC, or PhD)
• Have primary, full-time faculty appointment at OHSU, PSU, OSU, or UO
• Awardees must be at least ranked as an Assistant Professor (or equivalent) by the KL2 appointment start date
• Not have prior funding as a principal investigator on an NIH research grant including an R01 or any K series grant

Proposed Projects

Proposed projects must:

• Involve either clinical or translational research defined as involving human subjects or populations, or research that has direct application to human health
• Involve research conducted domestically

Current Scholars

The current scholars and their projects include:

• Angie Garinis, PhD, MS: Novel Kinematic Analyses for Detection of Aminoglycoside-Induced Vestibular Loss
• Alex Speers, ND, MS: Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of an oral Withania somnifera product in older adults
• Jessica Hebert, PhD: Determining mechanisms of longitudinal reproductive impact following recovered maternal AKI
• Hunter Spencer, DO: Dried Blood Spot Testing in Peer-assisted, Telemedicine-based Hepatitis C Treatment
• Noah Hornick, MD, PhD: The role of androgens in differentiating checkpoint-induced and spontaneous lichenoid skin disease
• Daniel Nelson, MD, MPP: Feasibility of evaluating Oregon Medicaid's Section 1115 post-incarceration community reentry waiver
• Stephanie Egge, MD: Pseudomonas aeruginosa heteroresistance to first-line -lactam antibiotics: prevalence, risk factors, and clinical impact

Application Information

The next anticipated RFA is spring 2026. View the 2025 RFA for application details, and award requirements and support.