The Pediatric K-Club was established in the fall of 2009. The objective of this program is to provide an educational forum to assist fellows and faculty with developing successful career development award applications. With support from the Emory Department of Pediatrics and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and our co-sponsors the Emory Department of Medicine, the Georgia Clinical & Translational Science Alliance (Georgia CTSA), and CFAR, monthly lunchtime seminars on the second Monday of each month are held during the academic year. Various topics pertaining to the conception, development, submission, and post-award process related to career development awards are addressed. The format of meetings consists of an introductory presentation, followed by a panel or group discussion, with input and active participation by attendees. Sessions are carefully designed to convey valuable information and support a lively discussion among invited speakers and attendees.
The K-Club thrives on the support of faculty contributors and young investigator participants. Sessions are open to all with an interest in acquiring funding for research via career development awards and other related funding mechanisms. Typical attendance includes on average 80 faculty, fellows and other interested research staff.
K-Club Evaluation and Future Directions
The K-Club leaders are always seeking and using participant feedback to improve and grow the program. The Georgia CTSA Evaluation & Continuous Improvement program published an evaluation of K-Club, including an assessment of the career development needs of health science researchers from their own perspectives. Findings highlight the success and value of the K-Club program and provide guidelines for improving and expanding career development offerings.
Overview
Navigating the NIH and Extramural Research Funding
- Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA’s): Formulating & Organizing Grant Applications
- Navigating the NIH
- NIH Study Sections & Review Processes
- Inside Look at Study Sections & the Scientific Review Process
- Revisions and Summary Statements
- The Non-Ks of K-Club: Non-NIH Career Development Funding Mechanisms
Strategies & Approaches to Writing NIH and Other Grant Applications
- Specific Aims Development & Selling Your Research Idea
- Anatomy of an NIH Grant: Tactics for the Significance, Innovation, and Approach Sections
- NIH Biosketch Basics
- Writing your K Award Career Development Plan
- Focus to Fit Funds – targeting the representation of your research aims and plan for the specific funding agency
General Advice in Preparing Research Grant Applications
- Top 10 Things to Do When Preparing a K/R Application
- Making the K to R Transition and Transitional to Research Independence
- Successful K Awardees & the Secrets to their Success
- Checklist for Grant Success - Key steps in planning your research grant submission
- Everything but the Science: The importance of supporting documentation in your research grant application
Research Administration & Logistics
- Navigating the Research Grant Application Process & The SF424 Application
- K Grant Proposal Budgeting Basics & Managing Award Funding
- Post-Award Management & Other Considerations
Professional Development
- Time Management
- Mentoring – Assembling a Winning Team including both mentors and mentees perspectives
- HR Considerations: Hiring & Managing Employees
- Tips and Tools for Communicating and Publishing Your Research
- Laying the Groundwork for a Successful Career – Important considerations for researchers related to the faculty promotion process
K-Club Calendar(search 'K-Club' for all listings)
What is K-Club?
This program is an educational forum to assist fellows and faculty with successful research grant applications, with an emphasis on K grant awards, also called Career Development Awards or CDA's. Although the emphasis is on K grants and discussions are geared towards junior faculty who are preparing a K application, discussions often center around topics that have general interest and extend to other classes and types of research grant awards including NIH R funding and foundation funding.
When is K-Club?
Monthly lunchtime seminars occur on the second Monday of each month during the academic year.
What are the topics?
Various topics pertaining to the conception, development, submission, and post-award process related to research grants are addressed, with an emphasis on career development awards.
What is the format? The format typically consists of an introductory presentation, followed by a panel or group discussion, with input and participation by attendees. Sessions are designed to convey valuable information and support a lively discussion among invited speakers and attendees. While attending in-person provides the best K-Club experience, attendees can participate remotely in real time via the WebEx option and may also review the slides and recorded session afterwards - see Videos & Slides tab above.
Who should attend?
- Junior faculty and fellows interested in academic research careers
- Researchers interested in learning more about career development opportunities
- Researchers interested in learning about research grant funding opportunities and research grant application strategies
- All researchers associated with our sponsors are welcome to attend and participate in K-Club
Who sponsors K-Club?
K-Club is sponsored by the Emory Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Emory Department of Medicine, the Georgia Clinical & Translational Science Alliance (UL1TR002378), and the Emory Center for AIDS Research (P30AI050409).
What are K grants?
K-awards are also called “Career Development Awards.” This grant mechanism supports PhD’s and MD’s who wish to develop a career in biomedical research. There are many different subtypes of K awards and each has specific outlines and requirements. Detailed information about NIH Career Development Awards can be found at the K Kiosk.
Videos & Slides
Link to View 5/12/2025 K-Club
K-Club: Engaging with Research Leadership
Link to View 4/14/2025 K-Club
K-Club: SciENcv Biosketches and Other NIH Changes - A Hands-on Workshop
Link to View 3/10/2025 K-Club
K-Club: Reviving the healer: Confronting burnout in academia with coaching
Link to View 2/17/2025 K-Club
Link to View 12/9/2024 K-Club
K-Club: Mentoring Networks - What they are and how to build them
Link to View 5/13/2024 K-Club
K-Club: Strategies for Effective Poster Design
Link to View 4/8/2024 K-Club
K-Club: Building Your Career Development Plan for Your CDA
3/11/2024 K-Club (Not recorded)
K-Club: Still the Boss: Part II—Lab Organization, Managing Grants, Publishing (Intro Slides Only)
Link to View 2/12/24 K-Club
Slides not available
12/11/2023 K-Club (Not recorded)
K-Club: Becoming the Boss: Tactical Tips for Getting your Research Program Off the Ground
No Slides
Link to View 11/2/2023 K-Club
K-Club: Conflict Management with Your Research Teams
Link to View 10/09/2023 K-Club
K-Club: How to Talk to Your Division Chief
Link to view 9/18/23 K-Club
Link to view 5/8/23 K-Club
Link to view 4/12/23 K-Club
Link to view 3/13/23 K-Club
K-Club: "Take Two: Strategies for Resubmitting Grant Proposals"
Link to view 2/13/23 K-Club
K-Club: "Promoting Equity for Women in Academic Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach"--Please contact K-Club team to receive a link to the limited-time copy of the video
Link to view 1/23/23 K-Club
K-Club: "Best practices in forming and fostering strong mentoring relationships"
Link to view 12/12/22 K-Club (55 min)
K-Club: "Crowdsourcing strategies to hire the best and brightest to staff your research program"
Link to view 11/14/22 K-Club (1 hr 8 min)
K-Club: "How the CDC would, in a perfect world, communicate to the public during a pandemic"
Link to view 10/10/22 K-Club (1 hr 1 min)
K-Club: "Lessons Learned from the K Application Process: What I wish I knew then that I know now"
Link to view 9/12/22 K-Club (1 hr 1 min)
K-Club: "Best practices for partnering with a biostatistician in your research"
Link to view 5/9/22 K-Club (54 min 45 sec)
Article: "Fooling Ourselves" by Regina Nuzzo
Link to view 4/11/22 K-Club (55 min 25 sec)
K-Club: "How to Talk to Your Chair"
Link to view 3/14/22 K-Club (54 min 5 sec)
Link to view 2/14/22 K-Club (1 hr 8 min 48 sec)
Link to view 1/24/22 K-Club (59 min 43 sec)
K-Club: “The Research Funding Game: Search for Suitable Career Development Funding Opportunities”
Link to view 12/13/21 K-Club (59 min 57 sec)
Link to view 11/08/21 K-Club (57 min 42 sec)
Link to view 10/11/21 K-Club (59 min 43 sec)
Link to view 9/20/21 K-Club (59 min 53 sec)
Link to view 5/10/21 K-Club (1 hr 7 min 12 sec)
K-Club: “Perfecting and integrating the career development components of a K grant application”
Link to view 4/12/21 K-Club (59 min 13 sec)
K-Club: “Grant Writing 101: The Nuts and Bolts”
Link to view 3/8/21 K-Club (1 hr 3 min 37 sec)
K-Club: "What is data science and how can it help my research?"
Link to view 2/8/21 K-Club (58 min 59 sec)
K-Club: "Using Graphics to Enhance your Grant Proposals"
Link to original Hanover Research Video
Link to view 1/11/21 K-Club (58 min 9 sec)
K-Club: "Top Ten Pearls for Abstract Submissions"
Link to view 12/14/20 K-Club (1 hr 47 sec)
K-Club: "Transitioning to Research Independence Part 3: NIH Review Process"
Link to view 11/9/20 K-Club (59 min 22 sec)
K-Club: "Transitioning to Research Independence Part 2: Grantsmanship"
Link to view 10/19/20 K-Club (59 min 38 sec)
K-Club: "Transitioning to Research Independence Part 1: Types of NIH Awards"
Link to view 9/14/20 K-Club (1 hr 1 min 41 sec)
Link to view 3/9/20 K-Club (1 hr 2 min 41 sec)
K-Club: "FAIL is not a four letter word: Why success is more likely when you’re willing to fail"
Link to view 2/10/20 K-Club (57 min 3 sec)
K-Club: "How to get what you want from doing what you have to do"
57 min 3 sec
Link to view 1/13/20 K-Club (48 min) (NOTE: due to technical issues, there is no sound until around the 13 minute mark)
K-Club: "ORCID, NCBI, and PMCID, oh my! Requirements and opportunities for managing your publications with efficiency and ease"
Slides
Link to view 12/17/19 K-Club (54 min 21 sec)
K-Club: "How the NIH Works: Including Tips and Strategies for Having Effective and Valuable Interactions with Program Officers"
Slides
Link to view 11/11/19 K-Club (57 min 17 sec)
K-Club: "Cultivating a Productive and Successful Relationship with a Biostatistician" (first part minus 3:40 minutes of the end) Last 3:40 minutes of presentation with questions
Slides
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Link to view 10/14/19 K-Club (56 min 56 sec)
Link for the Ted Talk mentioned in the presentation.
Link to view 9/16/19 K-Club (57 min 2 sec)
Link to view 5/13/19 K-Club (59 min 12 sec)
Handouts/Additional Materials:
Designing Effective Scientific Presentations
Link to view 4/8/19 K-Club (54 min 54 sec)
Link to view 3/11/19 K-Club (58 min 19 sec)
K-Club: "Rigor and Transparency to Enhance Reproducibility"
Link to view 2/11/19 K-Club (59 min 48 sec)
K-Club: "Lessons Learned from the K Application Process-- What I wish I knew then what I know now"
Link to view 1/14/19 K-Club (51 min 36 sec)
K-Club: "Mentorship: From the Mentor's Perspective”
Link to view 12/10/18 K-Club (1 hr 1 min 10 sec)
K-Club: "Research Funding Roadmaps: Highlighting pathways to funding success.”
Link to view 11/12/18 K-Club (55 min 35 sec)
K-Club: “Let’s Get Specific – The Importance of the Specific Aims Page”
Link to view 10/8/18 K-Club (59 min)
K-Club: "Kiss of Death Mistakes in Grantsmanship"
Link to view 9/10/18 K-Club (1 hr 1 min)
K-Club: "Mentors, Collaborators, Contributors, and Consultants - How to organize and position your research team for funding and project success" (Recording no longer available)
Link to view 5/14/18 K-Club (58 min 50 sec)
Link to view 4/9/18 K-Club (1 hr 1 min 11 sec)
Link to view 3/12/18 K-Club (59 min 23 sec)
K-Club: "Georgia CTSA Roadshow: A personalized tour of the available research education offerings"
Link to view 2/12/18 K-Club (1 hour 56 sec)
K-Club: "Transitioning from Mentee to Mentor"
1/8/18 K-Club:
K-Club: "Evolution & Utility of a Functional Mentor Team”
(we apologize that the video for this session is not available due to technical difficulties)
Link to view 12/11/17 K-Club (55 min 05 sec):
K-Club: "Checklist for Grant Application Success”
Link to view 11/13/17 K-Club (55 min 20 sec):
K-Club: "Expanding Research Endeavors through Industry Collaborations”
Nature Biotechnology publication: How to set up collaborations between academia and
industrial biotech companies
Link to view 10/9/17 K-Club (53 min 10 sec):
K-Club: "Research dissemination: preprints, data repositories, and the traditional journal”
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Link to view 5/8/17 K-Club (56 min 53 sec):
K-Club: "The Non-K's of the Career Development Awards”
Link to view 4/10/17 K-Club (1 hr 1 min):
Link to view 3/20/17 Special K-Club (1 hr 2 min 51 sec):
K-Club: "From Failure to Success--A Practical Guide”
Link to view 3/13/17 K-Club (1 hr 3 min 48 sec):
K-Club: "How to create a successful mentoring relationship”
Link to view 1/9/17 K-Club (50 min 6 sec):
K-Club: "At The Click of a Mouse…The research grant related resources at your fingertips"
Link to view 12/12/16 K-Club (59 min 49 sec)
Link to view 11/14/16 K-Club (59 min 32 sec):
K-Club: “The Alphabet Soup of Submitting Your Grant Application"
Slides
Competitive Renewal Advice
Link to view 10/10/16 K-Club (53 min 2 sec):
K-Club: "Putting Pen to Paper: A framework for writing your K application”
Link to view 9/12/16 K-Club (1 hr):
Link to view 5/9/16 K-Club (1 hr):
K-Club: "New NIH grant application Rigor and Transparency requirements: Reviewer Perspectives"
Link to view 4/11/16 K-Club (58 min 20 sec):
K-Club: "Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of the New NIH Biosketch"
Link to view 3/14/16 K-Club (1 hr 4 min 56 sec):
K-Club: "Navigating the Complex World of Collaborative Research" (Recording no longer available)
Link to view 2/8/16 K-Club (55 min 33 sec):
K-Club: "Laying the Groundwork for a Successful Research Career"
Link to view 1/11/16 K-Club (58 min 22 sec)--this video is no longer available
K-Club: "NIH Loan Repayment Program Application Roadmap"
Link to view 12/14/15 K-Club (1 hr )
K-Club: "Demystifying the NIH Scientific Review Process" (Recording no longer available)
Slides presented by Dr. Karyl Swartz
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Link to view 11/9/15 K-Club (1 hr 6 min 48 sec):
K-Club: "Time Management for Researchers"
Link to view 10/12/15 K-Club (56 min 22 sec):
K-Club: "Your Research BFFs: Connecting with the mentors, expertise and services you need to submit a strong research proposal"
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Link to view 9/14/15 K-Club (57 min 42 sec):
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Link to view 5/11/15 K-Club (59 min 32 sec):
K-Club: "Lather, Rinse, Repeat: Focus on Research Grant Resubmissions"
Link to view 3/9/15 K-Club (58 min 52 sec):
NOTE: For those videos that are in WebEx, you may need to click on “run temporary files”, especially if you are viewing this from a CHOA computer. Please contact Marco Aguilar if you have any issues or problems.
