This Working Group's purpose is to establish a program that consists of virtual meetings between “visiting” TL1 Trainees and their peers, established investigators, and research leaders at other CTSA hubs and at the NCATS intramural research program. To accomplish this, this working group will provide three forums: Grand Rounds, Mini Symposia, and a Debate Forum. Grand Rounds will provide senior predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows to present substantial data to a national audience. The Minisymposia will provide students and fellows at an earlier stage in their research to share findings in a shorter format than Grand Rounds. The Debate Forum offers an opportunity to practice presentation skills if students do not have sufficient data to present.
Dr. H. William Schnaper initiated the creation of this working group and program. Sadly, Dr. Schnaper passed away in 2020. In his honor and memory, the program is named after him as the "Schnaper Visiting Scientist (SVS) Program."