Carrie Oser named director of career development and workforce training at UK CCTS
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 8, 2026) — Carrie B. Oser, Ph.D., has been appointed director of career development and workforce training at the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
In this role, Oser will direct the UKatalyst career development program and spearhead campuswide initiatives to recruit, train and support early-career clinical and translational scientists, support mentorship and collaboration, and serve the broader clinical research workforce. A nationally recognized addiction health services researcher, Oser brings more than two decades of team science experience, institutional leadership and interdisciplinary mentorship to the CCTS.
Oser is a University Research Professor and vice chair in the Department of Behavioral Science in the UK College of Medicine, holding a secondary appointment in the Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as the director of the Center on Drug & Alcohol Research and associate director of both the Center for Health, Engagement, and Transformation and the Substance Use Priority Research Area.
“Dr. Oser brings a unique combination of world-class investigative expertise, demonstrated mentoring success, broad campus leadership and an extraordinary passion for developing people,” said Katherine Hartmann, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UK CCTS. “A central pillar of our strategic mission is advancing the careers and capacity of the staff, scholars and faculty driving translational science across Kentucky and the NIH Clinical Translational Science Award consortium. Carrie understands firsthand what it takes to navigate every milestone of an academic research career and what it takes to best advance the careers of UK investigators.”
As a researcher, Oser has secured more than $18.5 million as principal investigator and $145 million as a co-investigator in grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. She has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters examining substance use disorder treatment, HIV interventions, social networks and implementation science, with a dedicated focus on rural communities.
Beyond research, Oser has focused extensively on cultivating future generations of researchers. She has mentored more than 50 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty members, serving as primary mentor on numerous NIH predoctoral fellowships, postdoctoral awards and mentored career development grants.
Her mentorship has earned recognition across campus, including the CCTS Mentor Recognition Award, the UK College of Medicine Career Mentoring Award, the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Peer Faculty Mentor Award and the Sarah Bennett Holmes Faculty Award.
“I’m honored to lead the UKatalyst career development program and to pay forward the mentorship and professional development that have shaped my career,” Oser said. “As a native Kentuckian, I’m committed to strengthening the pipeline of talented scientists and professionals who will advance translational research and improve health outcomes. My goal is to build a campuswide career development ecosystem that connects scholars with mentorship, training, networking and leadership opportunities at every stage of their careers.”
As director of the UKatalyst career development and workforce training activities, Oser will oversee core CCTS educational and training initiatives, including the K12 and T32 career development programs, pilot grant mentorship pipelines and clinical research staff training curricula.
Media Contact: Megan Moloney, megan.moloney@uky.edu
