NCATS TL1/T32 William Schnaper Visiting Scientist program: Trainee-driven mini-symposium

The William Schnaper Visiting Scientist (WSVS) Mini-Symposium was established within the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium to provide predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees with opportunities to present research, develop communication skills, and foster cross-institutional collaboration through a fully virtual, trainee-centered format. We describe the structure, implementation, and outcomes of seven WSVS Mini-Symposia conducted from 2021 to 2025. Program metrics included participation across CTSA hubs, trainee roles, research domains represented, and survey-based evaluations from presenters and attendees assessing perceived value, professional development, and program logistics. Seven symposia featured 62 trainee presenters from 28 CTSA hubs across 21 U.S. states. Most presenters were predoctoral trainees (79%), and research spanned basic (34%), clinical (52%), and implementation/public health (13%) domains. Survey responses indicated strong perceived benefit: 100% of presenters reported value for professional development and roughly 50% reported receiving useful feedback and establishing new professional contacts; 78% of attendees reported the symposium was a valuable learning experience. The WSVS Mini-Symposium demonstrates that a scalable, trainee-led virtual forum can effectively promote scientific communication, networking, and workforce development across geographically distributed training programs. This model provides a sustainable framework for enhancing translational science training nationwide.