First Society for Investigative Dermatology Career Development Retreat for PhD Trainees in Dermatological Science

Abstract

The Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) is committed to supporting the career development of young investigators. Although leaders of the SID’s Resident Retreat for Future Academicians have been working since 2001 to increase the likelihood that dermatology residents will pursue an academic career and undertake dermatological research (Culton et al., 2010; Hill et al., 2010), no equivalent program has existed for the many PhD trainees who present their research each year at the SID meeting. The increasingly difficult research funding climate threatens to prevent an entire generation of dermatological research ideas from being explored, underscoring the increased need to mentor, encourage, foster networking, and provide practical tools for PhD trainees to continue pursuing their research careers. As the first postdoctoral fellow representative appointed to the SID Board of Directors (2010– 2012), it was a great honor to serve as program chair for the inaugural SID Career Development Retreat for PhD Trainees in Dermatological Science (PhD Retreat). Of 21 nominees, 16 PhD or MD/PhD students/postdoctoral fellows within 2 years of defending their theses were selected to participate (Figure 1). The Retreat took place in conjunction with the 12th Resident Retreat for Future Academicians*. The PhD Retreat has been nearly 3 years in the making. On the basis of a robust response to two pilot lunchtime mentorship programs for PhD trainees at SID meetings, Kathleen Green, PhD (Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, SID President 2010–2011) proposed the PhD Retreat to the SID Board of Directors, who accepted the proposal. The inaugural Retreat program addressed the practical steps for a successful research career, with an emphasis on finding role models and mentors, developing a scientific niche, building connections across disciplines, grantsmanship, and work–life balance. Valerie Horsley, PhD (Yale University, New Haven, CT) gave an enthusiastic keynote address on the joy of a research career and what has made her successful to this point. She encouraged participants to ‘‘Get up! Stay positive! Be brave!’’ She also spoke on effective time management and work–life balance. Each member of the Retreat faculty briefly relayed his or her career development paths, inviting the attendees to approach us with questions throughout the Retreat. Participants then had time to interact with each other, with Resident Retreat attendees, with faculty from both Retreats, and with members of the SID Board of Directors at a networking reception. On day 2, Stephen Katz, MD/PhD (Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases—NIAMS, Bethesda, MD) and Suzanne Connolly, MD (Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ) addressed both Retreats on developing a scientific or clinical niche. The PhD Retreat participants then heard from Maranke Koster, PhD (University of Colorado, Denver, CO), Jennifer Zhang, PhD (Duke University, Durham, NC), and Spiro Getsios, PhD (Northwestern University, Chicago, IL). The speakers focused on developing a specific research niche and the importance of maintaining relationships with mentors while developing independence. Informal discussions followed, where participants could select among table discussions on basic science careers, basic/clinical hybrid careers, and the pathway from academia to industry. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) places increasing value on collaborative, multidisciplinary teams to facilitate the bench-to-bedside research pipeline (de Guzman Strong and Cornelius, 2012). Several excellent examples of such teams exist within cutaneous biology research, and resources are available for understanding how to build successful teams (Kong and Segre, 2010). A specific aim within the NIH grant funding the Retreat was to ‘‘introduce residents to aspects of multidisciplinary research by creating a participatory experience together with PhD trainees and fellows.’’ To meet this goal, the Resident and PhD Retreat participants met under the direction of Alice Pentland, MD (University of Rochester, Rochester, NY) for a practical exercise in developing multidisciplinary research. To introduce the exercise, Dr Pentland spoke on effective communication, emphasizing that listening is an active process and equally as important as speaking, and that each participant should play an equal role in all discussions. On the basis of their areas of interest, faculty MEETING REPORT