Strategic Training in Transdisciplinary Radiation Science for the 21st Century (STARS21): 5-Year Prospective Evaluation of an Innovative Curriculum in Radiation Science

Abstract

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> STARS21 is a North American research training program that has been designed to provide graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and clinical fellows the skills essential to conduct translational and transdisciplinary research in radiation medicine and aims to address an unmet need for education in this area. We hypothesize that STARS21 enriches graduate and post-graduate training to enable increased trainee proficiencies that can enhance their overall research competencies. To address this further, we developed a novel evaluation tool. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> From 2015-2020, trainees completed anonymized evaluations of the STARS21 curriculum that included pre- and post-curriculum questionnaires that rated their level of proficiency on a 5-point scale (1 = not at all to 5 = extremely) for 7 research components. Data were analyzed separately for new (n = 86) and returning (n = 39) trainees. Two-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare pre- and post-curriculum scores for each component. A <i>P</i>-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. <h3>Results</h3> The overall curriculum evaluation completion rate for all trainees was 89%, and for the pre- and post-curriculum evaluations measuring perceived changes in research competencies of new and returning trainees, the completion rates were 85% and 90%, respectively. Overall, 92% of the trainees indicated that the breadth and depth of the STARS21 curriculum was just right, and that the curriculum was current and relevant. Each year, 100% of trainees indicated that they would recommend the program to their peers. Both new and returning trainees demonstrated significant increases in proficiency in all measured areas of transdisciplinary radiation medicine (<i>P</i> < 0.001), interprofessional collaboration (<i>P</i> < 0.001 new, <i>P</i> = 0.001 returning), transdisciplinary cancer research (<i>P</i> < 0.001), translational cancer research (<i>P</i> < 0.001), scientific communication (<i>P</i> < 0.001 new, <i>P</i> = 0.011 returning), personalized medicine (<i>P</i> < 0.001 new, <i>P</i> = 0.002 returning), and research commercialization (<i>P</i> < 0.001). The largest increases (over 1 point) in proficiency were associated with transdisciplinary radiation medicine and research commercialization for both new and returning trainees. <h3>Conclusion</h3> STARS21 trainees value the curriculum and program. Using a novel evaluation tool, increased perceived trainee research competencies attributable to the program were demonstrated for all new and returning trainees. This evaluation tool could be applied to other research training programs or adapted to other education settings.