Disease-Oriented Clinical Scholars (DOCS) Program

Program Purpose

The goal of the Disease-Oriented Clinical Scholars (DOCS) Program is to facilitate the growth of state of the art research in clinical departments at UT Southwestern.

Eligibility

Candidates for DOCS support may have a Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree and will be nominated by a clinical department chair at UT Southwestern. The candidate must have: completed research training, demonstrated a commitment to a career in research, and shown great promise as a future leader in the field. more..

Support

The distinguishing feature of the DOCS Program is flexibility. There is no predetermined amount or form of support. Rather, the department chair will be expected to request the support package that is best suited to a particular candidate and is commensurate with the candidate's dedication to research activities. more..

Application

Nominations for DOCS awards will be reviewed by a committee of leading researchers from clinical and basic science departments. Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis, with no application deadlines. Funds will be available to select up to 5 DOCS awards each year. more..

Review Criteria

A rigorous, competitive review of the candidates will be based on the following criteria:

1. Candidate's qualifications, future promise as a leading disease-oriented basic or clinical researcher, and evidence of commitment to education and training as an investigator. This will be based on the candidate's CV and research statement, publications, letters of recommendation, and chair's nomination letter.
 
2. Evidence of departmental support, including ample protected time for research, and good fit with department's research plans.
 
3. Requested support being commensurate with need. Smaller requests will not receive favored attention compared to larger requests. However, requests that are best tailored to optimize the candidate's research career development and future success-while making the most efficient use of resources-will be considered most favorably.

Program Review

The success of this new Program will be based on its demonstrated success in expanding the quality and scope of junior faculty investigators in clinical departments. We would expect the vast majority of DOCS awardees to remain at UT Southwestern, to be active and NIH-funded researchers, and to contribute to a growing research enterprise in the university's clinical departments. This review will be performed by the review committee for this Program. A tracking system will be maintained to keep a record of the success of the program and factors that influence success of the scholars.
 
 
Review Committee

Charles M. Ginsburg, M.D., Associate Dean for Academic Administration
Helen Hobbs, M.D., Professor, Eugene McDermott Center For Human Growth & Development
Jay Horton, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Robert Munford, M.D., Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Eric J. Nestler, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry
Fiemu Nwariaku, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
Milton Packer, M.D., Professor, Center for Biostatistics and Clinical Science
Luis Parada, Ph.D., Professor, Center for Developmental Biology
Julio Pérez Fontán, M.D., Professor, Department of Pediatrics
David Russell, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biophysics & Molecular Genetics