Apply now to the ITHS KL2 Program

Applications are now open for 2025–2026 appointments to the ITHS KL2 Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development program. The KL2 program provides the time, funding, mentorship, and training necessary to foster the early career development of clinical and translational researchers. The program is funded by the NIH and welcomes scholars with faculty appointments from all health professions.

KL2 scholars are appointed for up to three years of support. The program encourages all types of clinical research, including patient-oriented research, translational research, small- and large-scale clinical investigation and trials, epidemiologic and natural history studies, health services research, and health behavior research.

Former KL2 scholar Kristopher A. Kerns, PhD, MPH, is an acting assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics in the University of Washington School of Dentistry. He is also the associate director of the Clinical Oral Microbiome Research Center. We spoke to him in February 2025 as he was in his last weeks of the KL2 program, and asked what aspects of the KL2 program were most helpful to him.

I think getting outside of my bubble. Clinical research is very siloed, but with advances in support for translational and multidisciplinary research, I got to experience firsthand the value of working with people who were trained differently, who have the same problems just in a different tissue or a different disease.

When asked about what his favorite part of the KL2 experience was, he said his takeaways from interdisciplinary collaboration topped the list.

To me, the most valuable thing is the monthly training seminars. You’re forced to have this interaction with people that you would probably never interact with, and that stimulates thinking and it stimulates collaboration.

Every time I leave a meeting, I come back to my lab and I’m implementing things.

Read more about Dr. Kerns here. You can learn more about our past KL2 cohorts and their diverse range of research projects on our KL2 Scholars page here.