CTSI is pleased to announce the appointment of seven new scholars in our K12 Scholars Career Development Program and K-R01 Transition to Independence Program with awards beginning February 1, 2026.
K12 scholars
The K12 Scholars Career Development Program is a three-year training and funding opportunity that supports early-stage UMN investigators committed to building a long-term clinical and translational research career.
Melanie Firestone, PhD, MPH
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health
Mentors: Craig Hedberg, Silvia Balbo, Caitlin Ward
Sarah Kaja, PhD
Department of Pediatrics, Medical School
Mentors: Rebecca Shlafer, Alicia Kunin-Batson, Ann Brearley
Christopher Knapp, MD, MPH
Hennepin Healthcare/Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medical School
Mentors: Allyson Hart, Kirsten Johansen, Gautam Shroff, Dave Gilbertson
Levi Teigen, PhD
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Mentors: Byron Vaughn, Chi Chen, Christopher Staley, Rich Evans
Ajay Verma, PhD
Department of Neurology, Medical School
Mentors: Luke Johnson, Jerrold Vitek, Matthew Johnson, Michael Howell, Mark Fiecas
K-R01 scholars
The K-R01 Transition to Independence Program is a two-year opportunity that supports University of Minnesota assistant and associate professors in developing a competitive NIH R01 proposal.
Alexandra Armstrong, DVM, DACVP, PhD
Department of Pathology, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
Mentors: Casey Johnson, Davis Seelig, Weihua Guan
Gillian Tarr, PhD, CPH
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health
Mentors: Jeff Bender, Noelle Noyes, Caitlin Ward
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