A cadre of 12 highly experienced faculty mentors and 13 participants are set to arrive at the University of Arizona for the third annual Focused Investigator Training (FIT) Program this month. The 13 experienced investigators selected to attend the program possess the knowledge and skills required to submit a competitive extramural funding grant (such as an NIH grant application). The 13 participants selected to attend the FIT Program are as follows: Marcia Brackbill, Fred Doloresco, Mitchell Barnett, Pamala Pawloski, Rahul Jain, Terrance Adam, James Backes, Steven Leonard, Leigh Anne Nelson, Roy Parish, Edith Nutescu, Qing Ma, and Kenneth Bauer Jr. Throughout the week, these 13 investigators will maximize pilot data while working with highly funded, experienced mentors from around the country in a collegial setting.

The core activity of the FIT, called the Grant Proposal Group Sessions, teams the investigators with two faculty mentors and other peer investigators throughout the week. In addition to lectures, participants will engage in panel discussions and small group breakout sessions for basic, clinical, and health outcomes research topics. Moreover, participants will have ample opportunity to consult with all the NIH-funded FIT Program faculty mentors, which include three biostatisticians, during one-on-one office hours. The 2010 FIT Mentor Team is as follows: Drs. Barry Carter, John Cleary, Reginald Frye, Susan Fagan, Vicki Ellingrod, Lynda Welage, and Gene Morse; Duane Sherrill, Ph.D.; Mary Gerkovich, Ph.D.; Greg Stoddard, Ph.D.; Julie Wright; and Gary Yee.

The FIT Program is partially supported by an educational donation provided by Amgen and in-kind support from the host institution, University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy. The American College of Clinical Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. The 2010 FIT Program will provide up to 26 contact hours of continuing education credit.