Career In Academic Medicine Research Articles

Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellows, Class of 2007: How Well Are They Prepared for the Future?

Pediatric gastroenterology fellows are expected to acquire skills as clinicians, researchers, and educators. An e-mail survey was conducted to examine training experiences of individual fellows; to understand how graduating fellows rate their abilities as clinicians, researchers, and teachers; and to answer whether the size of a pediatric gastroenterology training program affects a fellow's training and future position choice. A survey was e-mailed to 76 third-year pediatric gastroenterology fellows. Respondents were ranked according to the size of their training program. Completed surveys were returned by 50 respondents. Of these, 75% planned to pursue careers in academic medicine and 16% in private practice. In all, 68% of trainees participated in some type of basic research and 64% in clinical research. As attending physicians, 22% of fellows hoped to conduct basic science research and 74% clinical research. The majority thought they were competent or proficient teachers, and rated themselves as advanced beginners or competent when asked to evaluate their research skills. The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition recommends that fellows perform 100 colonoscopies, 20 liver biopsies, and 5 paracenteses to be considered competent. We found that regardless of program size, 48% of fellows performed fewer than 100 colonoscopies, 62% performed fewer than 20 liver biopsies, and 80% performed fewer than 5 paracenteses. The majority of fellows will pursue academic careers. Trainees may not be performing sufficient numbers of procedures. The number of procedures performed during fellowship was independent of program size.

How to Launch a Successful Career in Clinical Research

Preparing for a career in academic medicine is both challenging and rewarding. Most trainees need guidance to successfully navigate the period of training and early years as a faculty member....

Professor John Savill, vice principal and head of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh

“I started medical school in 1975 as an 18 year old undergraduate at Oxford. The great thing about Oxford was that I was exposed to research and I learnt how to write and think about scientific issues. I would like to see more students have the chance to do an intercalated BSc, which offers exposure to research. I think it would be wonderful if one day medicine was a six year course, with a year of science in the middle, especially now postgraduate training is going to be shorter. I now work in academic medicine. While medical school prepared me for research, I was still not exposed to how wonderful a career in academic medicine could be. I did not realise that professors did the kind of things that professors do. “I had a fantastic time at Oxford because term was only eight weeks long. I …

Dermatologists in industry

Dermatologists in industry

Foundation years and beyond

Interested in a career in academic medicine? Seven Bristol F2s describe their academic experience

A time for transformative leadership in academic health sciences

Academic medicine, in its broadest sense, has made major contributions to human health in the past quarter century. This has been achieved in large part because it has attracted an outstanding cadre of--largely altruistic--professionals. These pioneering efforts have served as the life-blood of the discipline. Their journeys of discovery, often complemented by collaboration with the pharmaceutical, biotechnological and device industry have yielded remarkable insights into the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and been celebrated by a stunning array of Nobel laureates in medicine and related arenas of endeavour.1 The translation of discovery to the bedside, clinic and the community coupled, most recently, with insights into the gap between potential effectiveness and what ultimately occurs as part of health care delivery, have been monumental in scope. This progress has unquestionably been the province of the university based clinician scientist. Within Canada, the emergence of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Canada Research Chairs has been pivotal in launching the careers of a new generation of clinician scientists. The excitement of discovery, gratification associated with direct patient care, and satisfaction of inspiring learning while engaging the next generation of emerging health professionals is rewarded by a career in academic medicine characterized by extraordinary challenge, fulfillment and meaning. As remarkable as these advances in quantity and quality of life have been (in large part attributable to health care research and its implementation) the promises of molecular medicine and abundant new technologies portend an exciting future whereby academic medicine can build upon its noble and traditional contributions to human health.

Preparing for “diastole”: Advanced training opportunities for academic hospitalists

Academic hospital medicine can be described as comprising periods of "systole," during which hospitalists provide clinical care, and periods of "diastole," the portion of a hospitalist's time spent in nonclinical activities. Far from being a period of relaxation, diastole is an active component of a hospitalist's work, the time devoted to the pursuit of career advancement. This period is a critical opportunity for career development in terms of medical research, education, quality improvement, or administration. An appropriate balance of systole and diastole may potentially prevent burnout and allow hospitalists opportunities to focus on academic advancement. Although an increasing number of residency graduates opt for a career in academic hospital medicine, few are prepared for the period of diastole. This article describes several career options in academic hospital medicine, specifically, opportunities in education, research, quality improvement, and administrative opportunities. By informing future hospitalists about the career opportunities within academic hospital medicine possible through managing their diastolic time, we hope that future generations of trainees will be better prepared to enter this field.

New careers in academic medicine

New careers in academic medicine

Saving the clinician‐scientist: Report of the ANA Long Range Planning Committee

Daunting obstacles to the development of careers in academic medicine represent the most important threat to the future of academic neurology. The Long Range Planning Committee of the American Neurological Association has for the past 2 years considered what practical methods might be undertaken to enhance the attractiveness of careers as neurologist investigators and to ensure that aspiring clinician-scientists are encouraged and retained. The deliberations have resulted in several recommendations. First, a plan has been developed to introduce flexibility during residency training in neurology. This will permit trainees who plan careers in academic medicine to have a substantial exposure to research during residency, shortening the subsequent transition to independent careers. Second, the American Neurological Association will create an annual course in clinical neuroscience research, to be held each summer for academically oriented residents. Improved mentoring and career guidance was identified as a third priority, addressed in part by the development of several new courses for trainees and mentors. Finally, planning is under way for a new postresidency training program in clinical research that will link small and large departments of neurology. Beyond these recommendations, the entire continuum of training for physician-scientists should be reexamined, from the first days of college to the successful launch as independent investigators. The development of additional demonstration projects to improve the quality and reduce the total length of training would be highly desirable.

Career choice in academic medicine

To review systematically the evidence about what factors influence the decision to choose or not choose a career in academic medicine. A systematic review of relevant literature from 1990 to May 2005. Searches of The Cochrane Library, Medline (using Ovid and PubMed) from 1990 to May 2005, and EMBASE from 1990 to May 2005 were completed to identify relevant studies that explored the influential factors. Additional articles were identified from searching the bibliographies of retrieved articles. We attempted to identify studies that included residents, fellows, or staff physicians. No restrictions were placed on the study methodologies identified and all articles presenting empirical evidence were retrieved. For cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies, minimum inclusion criteria were the presence of defined groups, and the ability to extract relevant data. For surveys that involved case series, minimum inclusion criteria were a description of the population, and the availability of extractable data. Minimum inclusion criteria for qualitative studies were descriptions of the sampling strategy and methods. The search identified 251 abstracts; 25 articles were included in this review. Completion of an MD with a graduate degree or fellowship program is associated with a career in academic medicine. Of the articles identified in this review, this finding is supported by the highest quality of evidence. Similarly, the completion of research and publication of this research in medical school and residency are associated with a career in academic medicine. The desire to teach, conduct research, and the intellectual stimulation and challenge provided in academia may also persuade people to choose this career path. The influence of a role model or a mentor was reported by physicians to impact their decision making. Trainees' interest in academic medicine wanes as they progress through their residency. In order to revitalize academic medicine, we must engage trainees and retain their interest throughout their training. Research opportunities for medical students, and fellowships or graduate training can meet this challenge and influence career choice. Initiatives to stimulate and maintain interest in academic medicine should be evaluated in prospective studies across multiple sites.

An Elective Research Year in Orthopaedic Residency

The concept of an elective research year during orthopaedic residency training is attractive to residents and faculty involved in graduate medical education. Measuring the success and outcomes of a research residency year remains poorly defined. The goal of this study is to evaluate the role and effect of the elective resident research year. How does one determine or define the "success" of a resident research year? Does the research residency year encourage residents to become clinician-scientists? A previously published questionnaire was mailed out to the 93 residents who completed their orthopaedic residency training between 1976 and 2005. The response rate was 70%. The majority of residents went into private practice (91.2%). In comparing residents with a research year to those without, no difference was noted in residents entering private or academic practice, or completing a fellowship. The research residents had a greater mean number of publications cited in PubMed. The mean number of publications after residency was similar. Exposure to an elective year of research did not appear to positively influence residents to enter a career in academic medicine.

Empowering Junior Faculty: Penn State???s Faculty Development and Mentoring Program

Empowerment of faculty is essential for academic success. The Junior Faculty Development Program (JFDP), sponsored by the Office of Professional Development of the Penn State College of Medicine, was established in 2003 with the goal of promoting the development and advancement of junior faculty so they can achieve success in their academic careers. The program consists of two components: a curriculum in research, education, clinical practice, and career development, and an individual project completed under the guidance of a senior faculty mentor. The curriculum provides faculty with knowledge, skills, and resources. Mentoring provides relationships and support. Together, these elements combine to empower junior faculty to better manage their careers. The effectiveness of the program has been demonstrated by several measures: participants evaluated the program highly, demonstrated increases in their perceptions of their own abilities, and completed tasks important to the advancement of their careers. Participants stated they were better prepared to advance their academic careers and that the individual projects would contribute to their career advancement. On the basis of this experience, the authors suggest that faculty development programs should empower faculty so that they can more effectively chart a successful career in academic medicine. This report describes an empowerment model, and the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Junior Faculty Development Program in 2003-04 and 2004-05. The authors offer this program as a model for the benefit of other institutions and for one of their most valuable assets: junior faculty.

Repaving the Road to Academic Success: The IMeRGE Approach to Peer Mentoring

In recent years, academic health centers have made a considerable effort to encourage medical students and physicians-in-training to consider academic medicine as a career choice. For physicians, selecting a career in academic medicine may be the first hurdle, but the challenge of successfully maintaining an academic career is perhaps a more formidable task. Mentoring is a much-needed response to this challenge. But the success of traditional mentoring programs at academic institutions is often limited by, among other things, the availability of senior faculty who can serve as mentors. The authors describe the formation and organization of the Internal Medicine Research Group at Emory (IMeRGE), an innovative peer mentoring group within the Division of General Medicine at Emory University. This group, born partially out of the mentoring needs of our women and minority faculty, shared the primary goal of fostering a collaborative atmosphere among junior faculty, while simultaneously acquiring experience through advanced faculty development. The authors present our methods of garnering division support for designated time and financial resources, defining member responsibilities, developing a curriculum, providing peer support, and seeking advisors with expertise in the areas on which we wished to focus. In addition to the development of IMeRGE, the authors provide an overview of the pros and cons of traditional mentoring versus peer mentoring; discuss the challenges faced by IMeRGE and strategies for addressing these issues; and present the paradigm of IMeRGE as a template for alternative forms of academic mentorship.

Stories from the Field: Students??? Descriptions of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment During Medical School

Previous studies have documented the prevalence of gender discrimination and sexual harassment during medical training, but very few have examined the behaviors that students perceive as discriminatory or harassing. The authors addressed this lack of information by examining graduating medical students' written descriptions of personal experiences with such behaviors during medical school. The authors reviewed the responses of graduating seniors at 12 U.S. medical schools to a questionnaire, administered in 2001-02, that asked them to provide written descriptions of their personal experiences with gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Seven response categories were created on the basis of recurring themes: educational inequalities; stereotypical comments; sexual overtures; offensive, embarrassing, or sexually explicit comments; inappropriate touching; sexist remarks; and not classifiable. The three authors examined the students' written accounts and placed each into one or more of the categories. Of the students' responses, 290 (36.6%) contained 313 written descriptions of personal experiences that the students perceived as either discriminatory or harassing. The most frequently reported experiences involved educational inequalities; experiences in this category were reported more frequently by men than by women. All other categories of experiences were reported more frequently by women. The results support earlier findings of the prevalence of gender discrimination and sexual harassment during undergraduate medical education. Perhaps formal antiharassment policies should provide examples of unacceptable behavior that are based on categories such as those revealed by this analysis. Perhaps, too, medical students' comments could be used to develop educational interventions for physicians in supervisory positions.

Francis M. Forster, MD (1912–2006)

Dr. Francis M. Forster, an icon of American neurology and a founder of the American Academy of Neurology, died February 23, 2006, in Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 days after his 94th birthday. Dr. Forster was a major force during the mid-20th century in bringing neurology into the mainstream of clinical practice at a time when neurology was largely an esoteric academic discipline. His scholarly achievements were largely in the field of epilepsy and, in particular, reflex epilepsy. As the esteemed chairman of two vigorous university departments, he trained more than 100 residents. Sixteen of these became chairs of neurology in the United States, Asia (Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan), South America, and Europe. Through his trainees, Dr. Forster’s caring and inquisitive approach to patients with disorders of the nervous system influenced the next generations of neurologists. ![][1] Figure. Francis M. Forster, MD Francis Forster was born in Cincinnati on February 14, 1912, to Michael Joseph Forster and Louise Barbara Schmidt. He attended St. Xavier High School, where he acquired a lasting interest in the classic languages of Latin and Greek that served him as a lifetime source of material for his wide-ranging intellect and for his delightful puns. He studied pre-medicine at Xavier University and received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine on July 11, 1937. He served a rotating internship at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, completed his residency in neurology on the Harvard Neurological Unit at the Boston City Hospital under the direction of Dr. Tracy J. Putnam and Dr. H. Houston Merritt, and trained in psychiatry at Pennsylvania Hospital. Following his residency, he was a Rockefeller Research Fellow in Dr. John F. Fulton’s Laboratory of Physiology at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Forster began his long and distinguished career in academic medicine as … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif

Irwin Freedberg and Industry

Irwin M. Freedberg, MD, had an extraordinary career in academic medicine. Others have focused on Irwin's many contributions to research, education, and our professional organizations. I would like to focus, however, on Irwin's interactions with the pharmaceutical industry. The relationship of academia and pharma has been at times a difficult one. As in many other aspects of dermatology, Irwin led the way in seeking solutions and common ground that resulted in both groups being better off. My reflections have been formed by my 15 years in academic medicine, including six years as a faculty member of New York University's Department of Dermatology, as well as my personal experience as a physician who currently works in the pharmaceutical industry.

The American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation Scholars Program: Additional data on research-related outcomes

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the progress of recipients of research training in obstetrics and gynecology in establishing an active research career in academic medicine. Existing data were used to examine the extent to which 41 individuals who had received American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation (AAOGF) fellowships had achieved outcomes indicative of a career in academic medicine. Outcomes included employment as a full-time faculty member, receipt of NIH research funding, number of publications, the types of journals in which these articles had appeared, and the type of research (eg, basic vs patient-oriented). Among individuals who were awarded their fellowship between 1984 and 1997, 88% held faculty appointments, and 40% of these positions were in institutions that were more research-intensive that the medical degree-granting institutions of fellows. Slightly more than half of former fellows had successfully competed for NIH research funding, with 22% being awarded at least one R01 grant. Overall, fellows produced a total of 878 articles, one third of which appeared in clinical journals, 18% were in basic biomedical research journals, and 48% were in journals that published both types of research. Previous AAOGF scholars have actively pursued research careers in academic obstetrics and gynecology. Their performance compares favorably with those of individuals receiving research training in other clinical specialties. A more complete understanding of their performance and the value added by the program would be possible if a core set of data on outcomes were available from other types of training efforts in both obstetrics and gynecology and other relevant disciplines.

Medical education fellowship: fostering early interest in education

Context and setting Since 1998 our institution has been steadily increasing student involvement in teaching and curriculum development. In 2004 a formal Medical Education Area of Concentration was created, a programme comparable to a ‘minor’ in college. Additionally, a fellowship in medical education was initiated to provide an opportunity for more extensive and focused exposure to medical education. Why the idea was necessary Currently, training of medical educators is often informal, limited and available only to those further along in their careers. This fellowship is an opportunity to gain experience and insight into medical education early in career development. Furthermore, as successful student involvement in medical education has demonstrated, medical education fellows can contribute productively to teaching, curriculum development and scholarly endeavours. The medical education fellowship, therefore, benefits the institution as well as the fellow. What was done The fellowship was designed to expose fellows to the full scope of medical education. Under the guidance of the Associate Dean for Curriculum, fellowship curricula were tailored to meet the needs of each fellow while including exposure to direct teaching, curriculum development, leadership, scholarship and education theory. Fellows were funded by a stipend from the Office of Medical Education. Evaluation of results and impact One fellow participated in 2003–04, and 3 in 2004–05. Two of 4 fellows completed the fellowship immediately following undergraduate medical training, a third before the fourth year of medical school, and the fourth after 1 year of residency. Teaching was the most common component shared by all fellows. Teaching occurred primarily in the small-group setting, although there were also opportunities for physical examination instruction and lecturing. Fellows' small-group teaching evaluations averaged 4.52 (scale 1 = poor, 5 = excellent) for overall teaching effectiveness compared to the average overall rating of 4.13 for all pre-clerkship small-group teachers at our institution. Two fellows received teaching awards and 1 fellow was nominated. Fellows also contributed to scholarly work with a current tally of 1 manuscript in preparation, 1 poster presentation at a national meeting, 2 poster presentations at regional meetings and 1 oral and 5 poster presentations at intramural meetings. All fellows served on pre-clerkship and clinical curriculum committees and participated in curriculum retreats. Two fellows joined the year-long Teaching Scholars Programme for faculty development. All 4 fellows concur that the experience increased their interest and skills in medical education and desire for a future career in academic medicine. For those fellows completing the fellowship before residency, the fellowship influenced residency selection − fellows sought out residencies supportive of their continuing interest in education. Based on its early success the fellowship is being formalised with specific guidelines, structure and expectations, although its individualised design will be maintained. It will continue to serve as a valuable opportunity for educational and career development between undergraduate and graduate medical education.

Diploma in clinical education

For doctors actively involved in teaching either at undergraduate or postgraduate level. You must have completed the certificate in clinical education to register (soon to open to non-clinicians).⇓ In 2002-4, at the start of my career in academic medicine. I needed to become quickly familiar with educational theory within a medical context, in order to contribute effectively to curriculum development in my job. The course also offered the chance to focus on my specific areas of interest. You need to …

What should I do if I want to pursue an academic career in emergency medicine?

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