112 Flight Tracker: A REDCap Tool to Streamline Career Development Grant Preparation and Reporting

• Published in: Journal of clinical and translational science Vol. 8; no. s1; p. 32
• Main Authors: Helton, Rebecca, Pearson, Scott, Hartmann, Katherine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 01.04.2024
• Subjects: Bibliometrics; Career development planning; Education, Career Development and Workforce Development; Flight; Funding; Population studies; Statistical analysis; Surveys
• ISSN: 2059-8661; 2059-8661
• DOI: 10.1017/cts.2024.110

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Compiling information about characteristics and progress of scholars is required for career development applications and progress reports. The range of information is substantial, and preparation is onerous. We sought to create a tool to facilitate gathering key data about trainees and mentors who participate in programs like NIH K- and T-awards. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using the REDCap platform, we developed forms and surveys to support intake of applicants, updates from scholars, and information about their participation in activities and use of resources. We deployed application programming interfaces (APIs) to automate capture of publicly available data about publications, impact metrics, and federal grant funding. Similar tools capture descriptions of mentor expertise including grant funding, prior trainees, and publications with mentees We also built modules to 1) allow connection to institutional grant and contract data to capture foundation and other funding; 2) pre-populate follow-up surveys to update information about career trajectories with minimal scholar effort; and 3) support mentee-mentor agreements as living documents. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: After a pilot period at our institution, we disseminated Flight Tracker to more than 50 academic institutions, most of whom are CTSA hubs. They track scholars in TL1/T32s, KL2/K12s, MSTP programs, and academic groups. Beyond federal reporting, uses now include publication impact factors (relative citation ratios, Altmetrics scores), grant funding of groups, maps of network relationships among investigators, scholar receipt of internal pilot awards, and statistics about transition to independence and time-to-promotion. Scholars can be separated into smaller cohorts by demographics, training dates, and funding dates. Over 34,000 scholars are tracked nationally among over 260 programs. Having structured data supports program evaluation, continuous improvements, and documents program strengths. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We informally estimate Flight Tracker reduces staff and leadership effort in preparation of program data by 75%, preserving time to focus on service to scholars. Ready access to data over time and within and across institutions creates new opportunities for collaborative data analysis to support evidence-based career development.