Career Development Workshop Research Articles

Develop Your CORE2 for Career Flourishing: A Career Development Workshop for Hospitalists.

Appreciative inquiry harnesses an individual's strengths to realize positive change, and a flourishing-focused mindset emphasizes engagement, social connectivity, and seeking meaningful work. Though the impact of these models on physician well-being and career planning has been evaluated in graduate medical education, their integration into career development initiatives for faculty has been limited. We designed a workshop to nurture hospitalist career development, based on our CORE2 conceptual framework (character strengths, overall vision, role assessment, explicit goals, and evaluation). We presented the workshop at the 2022 and 2023 Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) annual conferences. This 1.5-hour workshop comprised four modules and three small-group activities designed to help participants identify their signature character strengths, draft a professional vision statement, prioritize professional roles, and develop SMART goals aligned with these roles. At the 2023 SHM annual conference, 36 participants attended the workshop, and 32 (89%) completed pre- and postworkshop surveys. After workshop completion, participants' self-assessed familiarity with their signature character strengths, knowledge of evidence-based principles to develop SMART goals, and confidence in their ability to write a vision statement and SMART goals all increased significantly (p < .05). This workshop provides a valuable framework for self-directed longitudinal career development and reflection. We build on prior curricula on educator identity formation by guiding participants from identity definition to professional vision development to professional role evaluation to aligned goal creation and iterative evaluation. Our workshop's principles are readily generalizable to clinician-educators across medical disciplines.

Project Strengthen: An STEMM-focused career development workshop to prepare underrepresented minority students for graduate school

Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) programs are aimed to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) fields. However, limited programs and eligibility requirements limit the students who may apply to similar programs. At Winston-Salem State University, we piloted a series of workshops, collectively termed Project Strengthen, to emulate some of the key aspects of MARC programs. Following the workshop, Project Strengthen students showed a significant increase in their understanding of essential educational development skills, such as writing personal statements, applying to graduate school, studying for the GRE, and seeking summer internships. This suggests Project Strengthen may be a potential lower cost comparable option than MARC to make up for current deficiencies in preparedness for graduate school. We also provide educational materials from Project Strengthen, including a clear framework for this seminar series, six ready-made PowerPoints to share with trainees that have been demonstrated to be effective.

Meeting Report on the 2nd Chinese American Society for Mass Spectrometry Conference: Advancing Biological and Pharmaceutical Mass Spectrometry

The 2nd CASMS conference was held virtually through Gather. Town platform from October 17 to 21, 2022, with a total of 363 registrants including an outstanding and diverse group of scientists at the forefront of their research fields from both academia and industry worldwide, especially in the United States and China. The conference offered a 5-day agenda with an exciting scientific program consisting of two plenary lectures, 14 parallel symposia, and 4 special sessions in which a total of 97 invited speakers presented technological innovations and their applications in proteomics & biological mass spectrometry and metabo-lipidomics & pharmaceutical mass spectrometry. In addition, 18 invited speakers/panelists presented at 3 research-focused and 2 career development workshops. Moreover, 144 posters, 54 lightning talks, 5 sponsored workshops, and 14 exhibitions were presented, from which 20 posters and 8 lightning talks received presentation awards. Furthermore, the conference featured 1 MCP lectureship and 5 young investigator awardees for the first time to highlight outstanding mid-career and early-career rising stars in mass spectrometry from our society. The conference provided a unique scientific platform for young scientists (i.e., graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty/investigators) to present their research, meet with prominent scientists, and learn about career development and job opportunities (http://casms.org).

The GSA NIA R13 Diversity Mentoring and Career Development Workshop: what did we learn after 3 years?

The goal of the GSA NIA R13 Diversity Mentoring and Career Development Technical Assistance Workshop (GSA Diversity TAW) is to support, promote, and advance the training of diverse students in aging research. The program’s main aim is to increase the number of early career scientists who are historically underrepresented in gerontological research. Thus, from 2018 to 2020, more than 60 trainees and 16 faculty from diverse backgrounds participated in this unique gerontological training that included peer mentoring opportunities and engagements at the GSA Annual Meeting. The workshop curriculum included scientific presentations, networking, NIH grant preparation, career planning, and effective professional communication. Trainees and faculty were involved in the evaluation of the workshop, which included electronic surveys and focus groups that informed the design and curriculum of subsequent workshops. This paper will discuss the curricular design and objectives of the GSA Diversity TAW and present a summary of the trainees’ feedback results about the program and the iterative changes made based on that data.

The 2021 FASEB Virtual Science Research Conference on Protein Aggregation: Function, Dysfunction, and Disease, June 23-25, 2021.

The 2021 FASEB Virtual Science Research Conference on Protein Aggregation: Function, Dysfunction, and Disease, June 23-25, 2021.

An Investigation into Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry students’ Satisfaction of Online Learning

This paper aims to analyse the level of Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI) satisfaction with the online learning approach and learning experiences during the COVID-19 widespread in Viet Nam. Qualitative research was carried out using online interviews of students from different subjects. The following four research questions were addressed: (1) Have you ever experienced studying online? (2) Do you like studying online? (3) What factors cause the obstacles of studying online? And (4) What do you expect from your online teachers? The results showed that the majority of students were dissatisfied with the current methodology. They suffered from a poor Internet connection, surroundings, a loss of self-awareness, lack of interaction and feedback, and philosophical lectures. Furthermore, they expected exciting e-learning lesson plans and their teachers’ sense of humour. More analysis is required to incorporate career development workshops and practical training courses into online learning and teaching, according to this report, to support creative teaching methods and effective ways for students in a new platform.

PNS104 Findings from the 2020 Ispor Student Benefit Survey

To describe the findings from the 2020 ISPOR student member benefits survey and identify the core benefits valued by the students. The ISPOR student benefits survey was pre-established and is distributed every two years to the active student ISPOR members. The purpose of the survey is to understand the student perceived benefits of the ISPOR student, new professional membership, identify the drivers of transitioning from a student to a new professional member and collect any suggested future membership benefits to improve the student engagement. This survey was distributed via Survey Monkey with an open date of November 17, 2019 closed on July 14, 2020. Multiple reminders were sent via emails and other social media platforms until the survey closed. The number of questions was reduced from previous version and ‘skip logic’ was introduced to streamline the survey. Survey responses were extracted in Excel and descriptive analyses were performed. Total of 281 complete responses were received with 131 (47%) of them being paid members. Regarding student benefits provided in the past, both paid members and non-members felt like the most useful benefits was the ISPOR travel grants and the discounted membership. For suggestions on future benefits, mentorship program (66%), catalog of research funding opportunities (63%), matching of a professional “Conference buddy” with a student at ISPOR conferences (54%) were most valued. To better assist a smooth transition from a student to a new professional, the most selected responses were if ISPOR can provide direct mentoring from HEOR professionals (31%), help in expanding connections (30%), and provide career development workshops (29%). To expand the interests of students, discounted membership and ISPOR travel grant opportunities are expected to continue. Future potential benefits suggested for being ISPOR members include professional mentorship matching, database of funding opportunities and career development workshops.

Black in Immuno ‐ amplifying, celebrating, and supporting Black voices in immunology

Black in Immuno ‐ amplifying, celebrating, and supporting Black voices in immunology

The problem with 'follow your dream'.

I walked into my adviser's office, overflowing with frustration and confusion about the advice I had received at a recent career development workshop. It reiterated what I had heard so many times before: I should follow my dream, and if I didn't yet know what that was, I should live with career uncertainty until I figured it out. But as an international student working in the United States, taking time to explore wasn't an option for me. After listening to me rant, my adviser calmly looked across his desk. He told me that instead of focusing on finding a dream job, I should think about what I am good at and what makes me happy at least 80% of the time. This advice surprised me at first, but it ended up being exactly what I needed to hear.

Industry careers for molecular bioscientists: an interview with Jennifer Mitchell

Jennifer Mitchell is a scientist at Redx Pharma and Board Member of the European Laboratory Research and Innovation Group (ELRIG). She completed her integrated undergraduate and master’s degree in biological sciences at the University of Liverpool and took on a graduate industrial role as an associate scientist at a biotech company. After 2 years in this role, she went back into academia to complete a PhD before moving back to industry. Jennifer began her involvement with ELRIG, a not-for-profit organization serving the life science and drug discovery communities, as a student volunteer in 2017 and she has been part of the ELRIG General Committee since 2018. She is also part of the ELRIG early career professional (ECP) workgroup, which aims to engage the ECP scientific community through career development workshops and outreach events. In December 2020, the Biochemical Society hosted a session on industry careers in the molecular biosciences as part of its Biochemistry Focuswebinar series dedicated to early career researchers. The Biochemist spoke to Jennifer, panellist on the day, to find out more about her experience working in industry and her broader contributions to the community.

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT AND ACTIVITIES AT KO YO, SONGKHLA, THAILAND

The Thailand national lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic lasted for several months. Ko Yo is one of the tourist attractions in Songkhla province due to its unique culture, environment, and businesses. The lockdown has changed the local lifestyle together with its socioeconomic and environmental impacts. This study aimed to integrally investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 related societal responses on the coastal environment and activities and the adaptive capacity of businesses on Ko Yo Island in Songkhla province. The results showed negative impacts of the COVID-19 on restaurants, homestays, and aquaculture businesses due to the Governmental emergency decrees. Aquaculture was the most affected business. Despite the reduced number of customers and transportation problems, some restaurants and homestays have provided delivery services and fishing areas as novel services available to their customers. The decrease in coastal activities had positively affected some environmental parameters, e.g., total nitrogen, total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, and biochemical oxygen demand in water. In conclusion, businesses in Ko Yo were vulnerable to the disruption and the COVID-19 related situation. The local government organizations should seek to support the local communities, active businesses, and people in need to increase their adaptive capacities by providing financial support, organizing career development workshops, and coordinating and counseling local people. Short and long terms of emergency measures should be set at upper levels of government. © 2021, ALOKI Kft., Budapest, Hungary.

The Hybridised Context of Traditional Authorities Involvement in State-Driven Educational Provision in Ghana

This article discusses the supporting roles of Traditional Authorities (TAs) towards state-led formal education in Ghana through the Otumfuo Education Fund (OEF) from 2000 to 2012. The OEF is an educational fund initiated by the current Ashanti king, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in the early 2000s to address falling educational standards not only within his kingdom but also other parts of Ghana in line with the state’s educational vision. As one of the foremost educational partnership by a traditional leader in support of state-driven formal education at a massive scale in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), we examine how such state-chieftaincy hybrid governance approaches can promote educational delivery. Through in-depth interviews with 15 multiple stakeholders including officials at the OEF secretariat, traditional leaders, headteachers, government officials and project consultants involved with the OEF, we investigated the effectiveness and limitations of the OEF’s partnership with state educational agencies in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. By using Helmke and Levitsky’s typology of formal-informal interactions, we find that hybrid arrangements between traditional leaders (through the OEF) and the Ghanaian state aligns to an ‘accommodating-complementary’ type of partnership. Under this, the OEF supported the state in four main areas namely providing scholarships (to brilliant but needy students), expanding and renovating educational infrastructure in deprived areas, providing educational materials and organising career development workshops for students. We conclude that greater attention should be given to partnerships between state educational agencies and TAs, particularly in deprived areas where access to education remains a challenge.

HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING DYNAMICS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UPGRADED NATIONAL SCHOOLS IN WESTERN KENYA COUNTIES

This paper looks at the human resource dynamics influencing performance of public secondary schools that were upgraded in Kenya. When they were upgraded, it was expected that performance of these schools would improve but analysis of data over the recent years showed fluctuation in performance. This paper therefore investigates the extent to which aspects of human resource provision and availability could explain the performance trend of eight upgraded national schools in Western region of Kenya. The study used a mixed method research approach with the target population the target population were 263 teachers and 8 principals from teachers in the 8 upgraded national schools. The sample size was 156 respondents purposively sampled for principals and heads of departments, while teachers were sampled using random sampling technique. Data was collected through observation checklist, interview schedule and questionnaire. The instruments were tested for validity and reliability through piloting in the extra county schools that were upgraded from county schools in the region. Data analysis was done using quantitative and qualitative measures. Research results showed that there was significant change (7.5%) in teacher staffing distribution in the above mentioned schools. analysis of data showed that to cover the human resource shortfall gap, schools employed teachers on contract basis. Despite the initiative taken by secondary schools to bridge the human resource shortfall, they did not post significant improvement in academic performance of their students in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations. The research concluded that human resource supply did not match the demand (number of enrolled learners) in upgraded national schools and this did not significantly impacted on academic performance (p>0.05). The paper recommends that Teachers Service Commission should post more teachers to upgraded national schools to match the curriculum standards. Moreover, schools’ boards of management need to provide opportunity for training and attendance of career development workshops by their teachers to improve their knowledge, skills and competencies in classroom instruction to meet the demands of globalised world. Article visualizations:

Abstract A059: Promoting workforce diversity for cancer and cancer health disparities researchers: Approaches used by the Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program (GMaP) Regions 3 and 5

Abstract Background/Rationale: A barrier to improving access to quality care for underserved minority groups, as well as advancing research on health disparities, is the lack of workforce diversity in the United States. Research reports that minority physicians and scientists continue to be significantly under-represented in medical and scientific communities. Funded by the National Cancer Institute's Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD), GMaP is rooted in the conviction that a diverse workforce is essential for advancing cancer research and reducing cancer health disparities (CHD). We consider the overall scope and programming of two GMaP Regions, Region 3, serving Central to Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado, and Region 5, serving Central to Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, America Samoa, and Guam. We will focus on approaches to professional development training and consider how each enhances opportunities for minority students and early-career investigators to participate in a diverse research workforce and create health equity in the U.S. Approaches: We will discuss the multidisciplinary strategies used by GMaP Regions 3 and 5 to recruit students, early-career investigators, and cancer and CHD researchers into sustainable networks designed to provide meaningful training, engagement, and funding opportunities for ethnically/racially and/or geographically diverse individuals. We will review Region 3's travel-based strategy in which training encounters are conducted at multiple regional partner institutions, and Region 5's Career Development Workshop in which individuals from partner institutions travel to Seattle for an annual multiday training. Results: We will share feedback from these learning encounters, and specific examples of these approaches to ascertain that although time and resource intensive, such training encounters are successful and beneficial to GMaP individuals. Outcomes will include data from our overall GMaP programmatic evaluations, training feedback, and scientific product publication/dissemination and successful funding received by under-represented participant members. Conclusion: Creating a diverse cancer research workforce is challenging; however, continued engagement with under-represented students, faculty, and early-career researchers who desire training to participate fully in NIH/NCI funding mechanisms is vital to reverse structural, educational, and resource-related trends that perpetuate an inequitable research workforce. Although identifying promising candidates and providing support in sufficient flexible ways to be truly beneficial for each individual member may be slow and resource intensive, this research demonstrates that each encounter and training helps take members one step closer to her/his professional goal. Citation Format: Miria Kano, Sara Cole, Shiraz I. Mishra, Andrew L. Sussman, Beti Thompson. Promoting workforce diversity for cancer and cancer health disparities researchers: Approaches used by the Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program (GMaP) Regions 3 and 5 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A059.

Abstract A064: The Meharry Cancer Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Increasing undergraduate exposure to cancer health disparities via summer research experiences

Abstract Few under-represented minorities (URM) pursue careers as physicians and biomedical researchers. This lack of diversity within the scientific and clinical workforce greatly influences our ability to address the public health burden and disparities associated with cancer. To enhance the diversity of the cancer workforce and fully address the problem of cancer health disparities, we must increase the number of URM students who obtain the MD and/or PhD degrees and train in the areas of cancer biology and oncology. To address this issue, we established the Meharry Cancer Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). The Meharry Cancer SURP is a 10-week intensive, cancer-focused research experience that exposes undergraduate students to the area of cancer health disparities. It is designed to provide participants with a better understanding of how biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research influences cancer outcomes and to inspire participants to pursue careers in cancer research. In the first year of the program, a nationwide search was conducted to identify and select ten undergraduate students who were interested in pursuing careers in medicine and biomedical science. Each student performed a research project with an experienced cancer investigator from either Meharry Medical College or Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The research projects, which included preclinical studies, translational research, and epidemiologic/community-based studies, focused on cancers that disproportionately affect African-Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities. To ensure students understood fundamental concepts common to all cancers and cancer health disparities research, all program participants attended a weeklong cancer biology minicourse. They also attended cancer biology/cancer health disparities research seminars that allowed them to interact with oncologists and cancer researchers from groups traditionally under-represented in biomedical science and to be exposed to career opportunities within the areas of cancer research, oncology, and cancer health disparities. Furthermore, students participated in career development workshops that allowed them to explore cancer-related career options, create individual development plans, and obtain information needed to apply and successfully gain entrance into MD and PhD training programs. Together, these program activities increased student awareness of the fields of cancer biology and cancer health disparities and provided knowledge and tools necessary to successfully pursue cancer-focused careers. Citation Format: Evangeline Motley-Johnson, Katelyn Atkinson, Aliecia Bouligny, Del-vecie Brown, Samuel Delk, Jordan Finch, Kennedi Fitts, Dorian Hill, Faith Mungai, Dalancee Trabue, Kierra Whitelow, LaMonica Stewart. The Meharry Cancer Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Increasing undergraduate exposure to cancer health disparities via summer research experiences [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A064.

The Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology 42nd Annual Meeting.

The Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology (SCGDB) 42nd Annual Meeting was held at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas from October 14-15, 2019. The SCGDB meeting included scientific sessions on the molecular regulation of craniofacial development, cell biology of craniofacial development, signaling during craniofacial development, translational craniofacial biology, and for the first time, a career development workshop. Over a one hundred attendees from 21 states, and representing over 50 different scientific institutions, participated. The diverse group of scientists included cell and developmental biologists and clinical geneticists, promoting excellent discussions about molecular pathways guiding abnormal cell behaviors and the resultant morphological changes to craniofacial development. The results were high-quality science and a welcoming environment for trainees interested in craniofacial biology.

Looking Forward: Cutting-Edge Technologies and Skills for Pathologists in the Future.

Toxicologic pathology is one of the most valuable fields contributing to the advancement of animal and human health. With the ever-changing technological and economic environment, the basic skill set that pathologists are equipped with may require refinement to address the current and future needs. Periodically, pathologists must add relevant, new skills to their toolbox. The Career Development and Outreach Committee of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) sponsored a career development workshop entitled "Looking Forward: Cutting-edge Technologies and Skills for Pathologists in the Future" in conjunction with the STP 38th Annual Symposium. Experts were chosen to speak on artificial intelligence, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats technology, microRNAs, and next-generation sequencing. This article provides a summary of the talks presented at the workshop.

A Seat at the Table: Strategic Engagement in Service Activities for Early-Career Faculty From Underrepresented Groups in the Academy.

Many academic institutions strive to promote more diverse and inclusive campuses for faculty, staff, and students. As part of this effort, these institutions seek to include individuals from historically underrepresented groups (URGs)-such as women, people from racial/ethnic minority populations, persons with disabilities-on committees and in other service activities. However, given the low number of faculty members from URGs at many institutions, these faculty members tend to receive more requests to provide service to the institution or department (e.g., serving on committees, mentoring) than their counterparts from majority groups. Faculty members from URGs, especially early-career faculty, thus risk becoming overburdened with providing service at the expense of working on other scholarly activities required for promotion and tenure (i.e., conducting research, publishing). Although many scholars and others have written about this "minority tax" and its implications for early-career faculty from underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups, fewer have published about how this tax extends beyond racial/ethnic minorities to women and persons with disabilities. Further, the literature provides scant practical advice on how to avoid overburdening early-career faculty from URGs. Here, a group of multidisciplinary early- and mid-career faculty members from URGs seek to provide their peers from URGs with practical strategies for both evaluating the appropriateness of service requests and declining those that are not a good fit. The authors also provide institutional leaders with actionable recommendations to prevent early-career faculty from URGs from becoming overburdened with service.

Health and prolonging working lives: an advisory report of the Health Council of The Netherlands.

Objective This opinion paper summarizes the main findings and recommendations of an advisory report on health and prolonging working life, which was requested by the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment. Methods The advisory report was compiled by a multidisciplinary committee of ten scientists appointed by the Health Council of The Netherlands. The committee`s aims were to (i) describe the health of the ageing population, (ii) describe how prolonging working life influences health, (iii) describe determinants, besides health, for prolonging working lives, and (iv) review the literature on interventions aimed at retaining or improving employability of older workers. Results The report was presented to the Minister on 26 June 2018. As the likelihood of health problems increases with age, prolonging working life may be difficult. In general, life expectancy increases and gains in life years and health seem mainly attributable to people aged >75 years. Work is good for mental health. However, it may be beneficial for mental health to stop working around the retirement age. Besides health, financial factors, lifestyle, motivation to work, and working conditions play a role in prolonging working life. A systematic review of the evidence indicated that interventions such as worksite health promotion or career development workshops can support older workers in this matter. Conclusions The Health Council advised the Dutch Government to focus on worksite health promotion and career development interventions as well as the improvement of their implementation. This requires a tailored approach as there is a large diversity in health among older workers and particularly between low- and high-educated people. With this in mind, it was further recommended to explore whether flexible pension schemes might better suit this diversity.

Practical Strategies for Navigating Toxicologic Pathology in One's Early Career…and Beyond!

The toxicologic pathologist plays a vital role in the scientific community, using their unique blend of diagnostic and investigative skills to advance biomedical research, public health, drug discovery, or regulatory practices. But what exactly do toxicologic pathologists contribute? Where do these specialized professionals work? How can toxicologic pathologists maximize their efficiency and potential? To enlighten students and trainees, as well as early- or mid-career toxicologic pathologists, or even those approaching retirement, the Career Development and Outreach Committee of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) sponsored a career development workshop entitled "Practical Strategies for Navigating Toxicologic Pathology in One's Early Career…and Beyond!" in conjunction with the STP 37th annual symposium. The workshop featured toxicologic pathologists from contract research organizations and the pharmaceutical industry, who provided their perspectives on career preparation, evolving veterinary pathologist roles within various sectors of toxicologic pathology, the fundamentals of safety assessment, logistics of projects involving good laboratory practices, tools for effective interpretation and communication of anatomic and clinical pathology results, and a recap of scientific resources available to support the toxicologic pathologist in his or her journey. This article provides brief summaries of the talks presented during this career development workshop.