The mentorship of a new investigator in the program by experienced senior colleagues is an essential element of the program and the success of the mentee. Each student in the CRSP program will be guided by two mentors.
Faculty Advisor
Each CRSP student will be assigned a CRSP Faculty Advisor.
The CRSP Faculty Advisor assists the student in understanding and managing participation in the overall program. The CRSP faculty comprises a select group of highly qualified instructors who are successful clinical scientists in their own right. The CRSP Faculty Advisor assures integration of the didactic and research components of the program and works with the Scientific Mentor to ensure that the student gains maximum benefit from the program. The CRSP Faculty Advisor helps to identify and clarify and support the program goals and expectations by teaching, advising, encouraging and, when asked, providing clear and timely feedback to the student. The CRSP Faculty Advisor will be assigned by the CRSP Program during the first semester of study. The student has the option of selecting a different CRSP faculty advisor if desired.
Thesis Pathway Mentor
In addition to the CRSP Faculty Advisor, every CRSP student in the Thesis Pathway is guided by a Scientific Research Mentor.
The Scientific Research Mentor is responsible for research supervision and aspects of research career development. The Scientific Research Mentor has primary responsibility for guiding the scholar's thesis research. The Research Mentor should hold a faculty appointment at Case Western Reserve University or the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. CRSP students must identify their research interests and a research mentor by the end of their second semester.
Both the CRSP Faculty Advisor and the Scientific Research Mentor will interact closely with the student to:
- Formulate a research project
- Develop a career plan including didactic material that can be targeted to the student's professional needs
- Act as thesis development advisors
Both the CRSP Faculty Advisor and the Scientific Research Mentor will serve on the student's thesis defense committee and either the CRSP Faculty Advisor or Research Mentor (if they have a faculty appointment) may chair the committee.
Capstone Pathway Advisor
In addition to the CRSP Faculty Advisor, every CRSP student in the Capstone Pathway is guided by a Capstone Advisor.
The Capstone Advisor will be identified to guide the student through the Capstone project. The purpose of the Capstone project is to provide hands-on experience in conducting clinical research. The project will consist of approximately 160 hours over the course of a semester (e.g. 20 hours per week for 8 weeks, 10 hours per week for 16 weeks, etc.), and the student will enroll in the 3 credit hour CRSP 650, "Capstone" course. The Capstone project of Internship/Practicum may take diverse forms:
- A study project
- Internship/Practicum: A combination of tasks necessary for the successful implementation of a study, such as attending team meetings, developing an IRB protocol, designing study forms, assisting with recruitment, study procedures, data management/cleaning, descriptive analysis, secondary analysis
- Another format, with approval of CRSP director and Capstone Advisor
Grading may involve a number of Capstone "products”: a report completed by the student describing the study purpose, specific aims, methods, and IRB considerations; a description of all accomplished activities; an evaluation of the student by the advisor; an annotated bibliography describing a minimum of 10 readings from the scientific literature related to the Capstone Project (list pre-approved by the advisor).