The Columbia Transplant Initiative Outcomes Research (CTOR) Fellowship is a one-year mentored research training program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
The research program is designed for motivated MD or DO trainees who are interested in a career in solid organ transplantation and seek formal training in clinical or outcomes research.
We are no longer accepting applications for the coming year. Please check back for future opportunities.
Program Overview
This is a one-year research fellowship. Select fellows will have the opportunity to extend their fellowship for an additional year, based on research productivity and input from their mentorship team.
Fellowship Goals
- Develop and conduct clinical/outcomes research studies, from conception and IRB submission to manuscript submission.
- Hone skills in study design, epidemiology and biostatistics.
- Build proficiency in manuscript writing.
- Acquire the skills to critically evaluate scientific literature.
- Gain experience presenting research at local, national and international scientific meetings.
- Cultivate clinical knowledge in the field of organ transplantation.
Robust mentorship
Fellows will be paired with at least one senior transplant mentor and a multi-disciplinary mentorship team, who they will meet with regularly over the course of the fellowship.
Formal clinical research training
Fellows will begin the program by participating in the Columbia Summer Research Institute Bootcamp, a 5-week intensive course designed to provide fundamental skills in research design and statistical analysis.
Regular clinical didactics on organ transplantation
Fellows will have the opportunity to attend regular clinical lectures on heart, lung, liver, and kidney transplantation. They will also gain clinical exposure in subspecialty transplant clinics and in the operating room during transplant surgeries.
Regulatory and Institutional Review Board Support
Fellows will have access to regulatory and IRB support via the Transplant Clinical Research Center and Clinical Research Core at Columbia
Research funding covering salary, benefits, tuition and other research - related expenses
The CTOR funding will include the trainee’s salary and benefits, tuition for the Columbia Summer Research Institute Bootcamp and a research stipend to cover costs of travel, accommodations and registration to 1 transplant-related scientific meeting.
Program Leadership
Program Director
CTOR Committee
Tomoaki Kato, MD
Professor of Surgery
Chief, Abdominal Organ Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery
Executive Director, Columbia Transplant Initiative
Jean Emond, MD
Vice Chair, Department of Surgery
Elizabeth Verna, MD
Director, Clinical Research, Columbia University Transplant Initiative and the Transplant Clinical Research Center
Director, Hepatology Research, Columbia University Division of Digestive and Liver Disease
Thresiamma Lukose, PharmD
Director, Clinical Research Operations
Application Details
Who can apply?
- General surgery residents with 1-2 years of fully protected research time during residency training.
- Internal medicine or pediatric residents pursuing a gap-year(s) prior to fellowship training.
- Adult or pediatric transplant medicine (hepatology/nephrology/cardiology/pulmonology/infectious diseases) fellows or transplant surgery fellows who plans to pursue a career as an independently funded clinician-investigator but have yet to be awarded grant funding (i.e., early career development awards).
- International medical graduate pursuing 1-2 years of research training prior to applying to residency programs in the United States (U.S.)
- International resident/fellow/attending physician pursuing a sabbatical in the U.S.
- Interested in a career in transplant medicine or transplant surgery (adult or pediatric).
Applicants must demonstrate a previous track record of successful research endeavors (clinical/outcomes-health services research) during medical school, residency or fellowship training.
Required Documents
The following documents must be submitted via CTOR application page:
- Curriculum Vitae
- 2-3 letters of recommendation (including at least 1 letter from the applicant’s current division chief or program director).
- Personal statement (1 page, single-spaced) describing the applicant’s research background and research interests.
- Transplant-related research proposal (1 page, single-spaced), including potential mentors at CUIMC, a proposed timeline of the research project and justification of feasibility.
Apply Now
Applications can be submitted here via CTOR application page.
For more information, contact Tomoko Beutéll at tb2860@cumc.columbia.edu.