Jose A. Luchsinger, MD

Dr. Luchsinger supports junior researchers through a K24 mentoring award, which funds him explicitly for mentoring others. “And now one of my mentees has his own K20 career development award and is now funded and conducting his own research,” Luchsinger says.

It’s this type of professional development that the Irving Institute excels at, according to Luchsinger.

“We definitely make all our scholars and mentees aware of the different career development and education resources that are available at the CTSA, such as the Reach for the First R01 workshop; and we make them aware of the many pilot research programs of the CTSA, which have had a great return on investment.”

Luchsinger points to his own Irving Scholar award for his project “Metformin in the Prevention of Cognitive Decline” as an example of how the Irving Institute can set the stage for successful research growth. “When I became an Irving Scholar, it was very important to me because it's a recognition that you're valued,” he says. “To have a named position and to also have the material support that comes with it, it's kind of surreal, how it's come full circle.” Luchsinger’s Irving Scholar project has become a more than $20 million clinical trial supported by the CTSA system in the U.S. through the Trial Innovation Network. “I'm an example of how the support of the Irving Institute has been a very productive investment,” he says.