CTSC Community Engaged Research Mentoring Program

The CTSC Community Engaged Research (CER) Mentoring Program supports the development of investigators and community partners engaged in research that is collaborative, equitable, and responsive to community priorities. Focused specifically on the unique challenges and opportunities of Community Engaged Research, the program helps participants build skills, strengthen partnerships, and connect with resources that support this important and growing area of translational science.

Now Accepting Applications: Third-Year Cohort

The program is now accepting applications for its third-year cohort. While numerous mentoring programs exist across Northeast Ohio, none focus exclusively on Community Engaged Research. Through an application and matching process, mentees are paired with mentors to participate in:

• Orientation
• Regular one-on-one meetings with mentor/mentee pairings
• Bi-monthly meetings with the cohort of mentees and community mentors
• A mid-year virtual seminar
• Ongoing linkages to CTSC resources and the Community Based Research Network
• Graduation

Applications are due September 4, 2026. If you are interested in participating as a mentee or mentor, please use the application links below and visit our website for additional information about the program and other CER-related services. Please note that all applicants are required to attend a mandatory orientation on September 30, 2026, from 9:30–11:00 AM at the MCC. If you have any questions, please contact Darerian Schueller with any questions.

Eligibility & Benefits

Mentees:

• Must be a post-doctoral scholar, fellow, faculty member, or research scientist at a CTSC-affiliated institution (CWRU, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, NEOMED, University of Toledo, University Hospitals, and/or VA) with interest in leading community-engaged research.
• Must be interested and willing to participate in the outlined activities and grow as a community engaged researcher
• Will receive individual and team-based mentorship around community engaged research
• Will become part of a community of practice invested in nurturing authentic partnerships with community members to create more impactful research
• Will receive career development tools and resources

Mentors:

• Mentors must be an investigator at a CTSC-affiliated site (CWRU, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, NEOMED, University of Toledo, University Hospitals, and/or VA) with experience as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) leading peer-reviewed projects funded by the NIH, HRSA, DOD, other federal or major national research foundations (e.g., American Heart Association, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, or American Cancer Society).
• Must be interested and willing to participate in all activities, to help mentee to grow and develop as a community engaged researcher
  • Estimated time commitment is 1-2 hours per month
• Option to receive formal mentorship coaching
• Provided resources from national CTSA around effective mentoring
• Will help lay the foundation for the next generation of community engaged researchers

Key Dates

Application Deadline: September 4, 2026

Mentorship Pairings: Week of September 7, 2026

Orientation: September 30, 2026 at the MidTown Collaboration Center

Mid Program Summit: January/February 2027

Graduation: June 2027

**Mentees and mentors will be chosen based on capacity and interest.

CTSC CER Mentoring Program Graduates

1. CER Mentoring Program First Cohort Graduates
2. CER Mentoring Program Second Cohort Graduate