Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers: Mentored Scholars

HIV/AIDS Mentored Scholars in Quantitative Methods Program

The Program

The 1-2-year Mentored Scholars Program aims to foster interdisciplinary collaborations between early-stage investigators (ESIs) in biomedical, clinical, and sociobehavioral research and quantitative scientists (biostatisticians, bioinformaticians, etc.). This program will provide mentorship by quantitative experts to meet the specific needs of ESIs who seek to develop their HIV/AIDS research.

Scholars will be matched with mentors who can provide guidance related to working with quantitative scientists to:

  1. Design studies including hypothesis testing and sample size estimation for specific projects,
  2. Develop the analysis plan and optimal data analysis methods related to an ongoing research project,
  3. Engage in multidisciplinary team science and communication.

In addition to 1-1 mentorship, scholars will participate in group mentoring and training activities.

Program Eligibility

The program is open to: PhD students, postdocs, fellows, and Early Stage Investigators (ESI) conducting research in any area related to HIV/AIDS. Trainees in the Duke Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in AIDS (IRTPA) T32, CFAR ESIs, and CFAR Pilot Grant applicants and awardees will be given priority.

Trainees will be selected for the Mentored Scholars Program based on their research goals, the perceived value of quantitative mentorship to their career development, and the availability of a quantitative mentor with the appropriate expertise.

This program is not designed for researchers without formal quantitative training to become a quantitative scientist; however we do provide quantitative workshops that Scholars will attend as part of this mentorship program.

Example Scholars/Goals

  1. A researcher in a biomedical, clinical, sociobehavioral HIV/AIDS research field who aims to develop their HIV/AIDS research and enhance their collaboration skills with quantitative methodologists for conducting HIV research.
    • Example: A postdoc who is writing a NIH K proposal and would benefit from a mentor who can help them navigate quantitative resources needed to support the proposal and provide guidance throughout the application process.
    • Example: An assistant professor is growing their research by aggregating large and increasing amounts of data from disparate sources and is unfamiliar with developing the organizational structure to support these large-scale research initiatives.         
  2. A quantitative scientist (e.g., biostatistician, epidemiologist, psychometrician, data scientist, bioinformatician) working in (or aiming to work in) HIV/AIDS who wants to find a quantitative methodologist in a complementary area.
    • Example: A biostatistician is starting to integrate natural language processing in their work and is looking for a mentor with experience with natural language processing.
    • Example: A postdoc in a quantitative department whose path was not through a standard biostatistics/statistics/engineering/computer science background would like to identify new training pathways to gain skill sets to supplement their ongoing research postdoc work.

 

  • The Scholar will develop an (or modify an existing) individual development plan (IDP) or equivalent style accountability document with quarterly milestones, in close collaboration with their quantitative mentor.
  • The Scholar will meet monthly (ideally bi-weekly during the first three months) with their quantitative mentor.
  • The Scholar will attend peer-mentorship meetings with other Scholars.
  • The Scholar will have meetings with the program leaders to discuss their goals and identify any additional resources that program leaders can provide.
  • The Scholar should expect to attend 1-2 hours of meetings a month.
  • The Scholar will attend the Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers: Workshop Series.
  • The Scholar will have at least one consultation with the CFAR QS Core to discuss their work and identify potential areas where the Core can assist.
  • Access to one-on-one support from CFAR staff biostatisticians and bioinformaticians via the CFAR QS Core’s dedicated effort to assist ESI.
  • Access to additional quantitative science resources and programs such as design studios and program administration such as IDP templates, grant review sessions.
  • Scholars have the opportunity to co-mentor a quantitative graduate student intern over the summer with a quantitative scientist via the Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers: Summer Internship program.
  • Invited seminars at Immunology for Quants (I4Q) and to the Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers: Summer Internship program.

Mentorship

Mentorship from a quantitative scientist is provided to support the Scholar in their research and professional development. Scholars will gain experience in interdisciplinary quantitative-focused team science research with specialized mentorship. Potential mentors will be Duke Faculty with experience leading research studies with expertise related to  Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Epidemiology, Artificial Intelligence, and Computational Biology.

Scholars will be matched with a quantitative mentor to help them develop and work toward their goals. The mentor is not expected to serve as ‘the statistician’ or oversee any analysis of the Scholar’s project, but rather to provide statistical guidance and connect scholars to quantitative resources at Duke to support their research and help guide the Scholar toward their desired research outcomes.

Mentors and Scholars will have 1-1 meetings monthly over the year to discuss progress and follow an optional IDP to ensure the Scholar meets their goals.

  • Meet with program leadership to discuss plans and progress of the mentees (see Scholar Calendar below).
  • Meet at least monthly (ideally twice over the first three months) with the scholar.
  • The Mentor will review IDP and related documents with Scholar providing insight and suggestions.
  • Help the scholar navigate challenges related to building teams of quantitative collaborators to pursue HIV/AIDS research.
  • Help the scholar identify additional training opportunities to gain relevant skills that will help them reach their identified goals.

By the end of the year, the scholar is expected to make substantial progress toward their stated research goal. Some examples of goals that scholars may set are:

  • Assemble a comprehensive research team to work towards a grant submission
  • Submitted a grant/paper/abstract
  • Applying for a fellowship
  • Developing an application for a research faculty position

Research goals change and may take more time than expected. All scholars are welcome to shift their focus throughout the program and extend their enrollment to a second year.

Prospective scholars interested in the Mentored Scholars Program should prepare a comprehensive CV and complete the application located here. The application will involve answering the following questions (no more than a paragraph):

  1. What are your current research interests?
  2. What quantitative knowledge/experience/training do you have?
  3. What are your current research goals? Is it a grant, a publication, etc.
  4. What are your long-term career goals.  

Upon receipt of the submitted materials, the program leadership will convene a one-on-one meeting with the applicant to discuss their goals. This meeting will last approximately 30 minutes. Subsequently, the program leadership will identify suitable quantitative mentors and arrange a design studio session for the applicant.

The design studio will include the applicant’s primary scientific mentor, program leaders, and potential quantitative mentors.  This informal, one-hour presentation requires the scholar to prepare 5-10 slides discussing their background, areas of expertise, and the research question they have in mind. The group will then provide feedback in a free-flowing conversation.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Please submit any questions to Kelly Suñé (kelly.sune@duke.edu).

The admissions timeline is below. Note, this can take 1 to 2 months.

  1. Potential Scholar submits their application.
  2. Application is reviewed by program leadership.
  3. Committee meet with the Scholar over 30 minutes to talk about what the Scholar is interested in.
  4. Committee identifies potential quantitative mentors.
  5. A design studio is held with Program Leadership, potential quantitative mentors and Scholar’s scientific mentor
  6. If potential QMH mentor is a match, move forward to start of the scholar timeline, otherwise go back to step 4.

Below is the general Scholar Research timeline. Please note, at any point the Scholar can schedule a meeting with Program leadership.

  • Month 1. Quantitative mentor meetings (QMM) plus Orientation
    • Orientation is a meeting with Program Leadership discussing Analytic Navigation and DOCR navigation
  • Month 2. QMM
  • Month 3. QMM plus 30-minute check-in with Program Leadership
  • Month 4. QMM plus Quantitative mentor meets with Program Leadership
  • Month 5. QMM
  • Month 6. QMM plus Scholar completes survey discussing progress
  • Month 7. QMM
  • Month 8. QMM
  • Month 9. QMM
  • Month 10. QMM plus 30- minute check in with scholar to decide future steps
  • Month 11. QMM
  • Month 12. Exit interview plus Survey about program

Mentored Scholars Group Meeting Timeline

  • This timeline summarized the general activities in the Mentored Scholars Group meeting.
  • 15 to 30 minutes of each meeting is reserved for general discussion and for new scholar introductions as needed.

Monthly meetings may include:

  • BERD Presentation on Navigating Quantitative Collaborations
  • Peer Mentorship Group Discussions and Presentations
  • Best practices for Quantitative research
  • Scholar updates plus guided discussion
  • Team science Skills Development Workshop
  • DOCR resource navigation plus general discussion
  • Presentation from the CFAR QS Core discussing services offered and navigation.