Research scientists and those with dependents were significantly impacted by COVID-19 – spending roughly 40 percent less time on studies. To address this challenge, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF), through the support of the John Templeton Foundation, administered a grant called the “Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists” to extend research capacity among medical scientists who had experienced a surge in family caregiving and other research disruptions during the pandemic. Al Hassanein, MD, assistant professor of Surgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine was among the grant recipients to receive a FRCS grant, which was facilitated by the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute at Indiana University to support junior investigators.