The Child Neurologist Career Development Program-K12 provides funding and programmatic support for research and career development for selected, early career stage physician scientists who have completed clinical training in child neurology or neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Scholars receive up to three years of intensive, clinically relevant, basic and/or patient-oriented research mentorship at their home institution. A team of national pediatric neurology and neuroscience experts provides additional mentoring and career development.
Eligibility
- U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Residents
- No more than three years from completion of neurology clinical training in an academically oriented department of neurology and/or pediatric neurology capable of providing mentorship with well-established research infrastructure at a U.S. academic institution. Very highly qualified candidates who are further out will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Have an appointment as instructor or assistant professor at a U.S. academic institution with a research mission by July 1, 2026.
Letter of Intent
Each potential CNCDP-K12 scholar must begin the application process with a Letter of Intent (LOI). Letters of Intent must include all elements listed below combined into a single PDF. Resubmissions will only be considered if they have been substantially revised in response to prior critiques and are accompanied by a one-page summary detailing the changes made and how reviewer concerns have been addressed.
Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) with:
- Page 1: Statement of Intent (title of proposal, date of completion of clinical training, name of institution and mentor(s) for the CNCDP project, brief career development plan) Page 2: preliminary specific aims for proposed project
- Page 3 (for resubmissions only): a description of how the application has been modified in response to previous critiques. Note that resubmissions will not be considered for full applications unless they have been appropriately modified
- NIH-format Bio sketches from the candidate and primary mentor
- Proof of US Citizenship/Lawful Permanent Residency (copy Passport/Green Card)
Submit your Letter of Intent package in PDF format as one document to cncdp-k12@KennedyKrieger.org.
There is no limit on the number of candidates who can apply from a single institution.
Download Letter of Intent Instructions
Full Application (Invitation Only)
After LOIs are reviewed by the CNCDP Executive Committee, a subset of applicants will be invited to submit a full application to provide more detail about their research and career development plans. The application process will culminate with in-person interviews and application review meetings at the CNCDP Annual Retreat (in conjunction with the CNS Annual Meeting) from October 5-7, 2025. It is expected that current scholars and new applicants will attend all days of the retreat.
DEADLINE: August 11, 2025
Funding for selected scholars will begin July 1, 2026.