Immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CTSA TL1 and KL2 training and career development.

Wayne T Mccormack,Jason G Umans,Emma A Meagher,Kathryn Sandberg,Joel Tsevat,Cynthia D Morris,Scott Mcintosh,Rebecca D Jackson,Susan Pusek,H William Schnaper,Doris M Rubio,Miriam A Bredella,Joan D Nagel,David H Ingbar

doi:10.1017/cts.2020.504

Abstract

Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) TL1 trainees and KL2 scholars were surveyed to determine the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on training and career development. The most negative impact was lack of access to research facilities, clinics, and human subjects, plus for KL2 scholars lack of access to team members and need for homeschooling. TL1 trainees reported having more time to think and write. Common strategies to maintain research productivity involved time management, virtual connections with colleagues, and shifting to research activities not requiring laboratory/clinic settings. Strategies for mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on training and career development are described.

Highlights

Clinical and translational research aims to move scientific discoveries to clinical innovations that diagnose, prevent, or treat disease
Using fiscal year 2019 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) appointment data to estimate the total numbers of TL1 trainees [11] and KL2 scholars [12], the overall response rates were approximately 41% (238/580) for TL1 trainees and 68% (229/339) for KL2 scholars
Text responses for the open-ended questions were submitted by 197 TL1 trainees (34% response rate) and 202 KL2 scholars (60% response rate)

Summary

Introduction

Clinical and translational research aims to move scientific discoveries to clinical innovations that diagnose, prevent, or treat disease. The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), supports research training and mentored career awards at CTSA program institutions (hubs). By supporting predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows through TL1 Awards and early stage investigators through KL2 Awards, NCATS endeavors to increase the number of well-trained clinical and translational scientists who will lead this research to improve human health [1]. CTSA hubs provide settings for timely responses to local, regional, and national health crises, such as the opioid crisis [2] and the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to gain insights on how better to support TL1 trainees and KL2 scholars, CTSA Workforce Development leaders sought to evaluate the immediate impact of the pandemic on training and career development activities, maintain resilience in the research community, and meet future challenges

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Conclusion