Post on 20-Mar-2017
Associate Member of ORPHEUS
National Institutes of Health sponsored initiatives in Ph.D.
training in the U.S. – enhancing outcome and impact
Joey Barnett, Ph. D.Acting Chair, Dept. of Pharmacology
Assistant Dean for Physician-Researcher TrainingVanderbilt University School of Medicine
NIH BEST* Awards
Increasing Rigor and Reproducibility
https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Pages/default.aspx
*Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training
How the NIH BEST Grants Approach
Training for Alternative Careers
Broadening Experience in Scientific Training
Structure of the Presentation
• Overview on Biomed Research workforce.
• The BEST Consortium, nationwide.
• Vanderbilt BEST (ASPIRE) Program.
Overview on Biomed Research workforce
Is there an overproduction of Biomed PhDs?
Of course there is!
Absolutely not!
What governs the Composition and Size of the Biomed workforce?
• The Biomed Workforce is made up of graduate students and postdocs.
• The number of these individuals is governed by the NIH extramural Budget, currently about $30B. The specific driver is RO1 support (ca. $18B).
• It is hard to see this increasing in the next decade.
Doctorate Degrees Awarded in the Biological and Medical Sciences by Ethnicity (US Citizens and Permanent Residents Only)
Source: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/doctorates/
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000Other U.S, Citizens & Permanent ResidentsAmerican Indian or Alaska NativeHispanic/ LatinoBlack/ African-American (non-Hispanic/ Latino)Asian or Pacific Islander-CombinedWhite (non-Hispanic/ Latino)
Baseline: PhD Student Career Goals
35.2%
16.6%
0.0%0.5%
19.3%
0.0%3.2%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%0.7%0.2%0.9%
0.0%
0.9%
22.3%
at Entry
33.6%
13.8%
1.4%0.7%
14.7%
5.4%
5.7%
1.8%3.2%
2.5%2.3%
1.8%1.8%
1.8%
1.4%0.9%
7.3%
Faculty position in academia (primarily research)Faculty position in academia (primarily teaching)Faculty position in academia (research & teaching)Faculty positionIndustry (research position)Industry (non‐research position)Government or nonprofit lab (research position)Government or nonprofit lab (non‐research position)Science or medical writing/editing/publishingResearch position ‐ sector undecidedScience policyPatent lawScience outreach/K‐12 education/teachingOtherClinical laboratory research / administrationPhysician or physician‐scientistUndecided
at Exit
The Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) Consortium
NIHBEST.orgFollow Consortium Tweets at: Twitter.com/NIHBEST
#NIHBEST
Broadening Experiencesin Scientific Training
UC Davis
UC San Francisco
UC Irvine
University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical
Campus
Michigan State University
Wayne State University
University of Rochester
Cornell University
University of MassachusettsMedical School
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Rutgers University
New York University
Boston University
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Emory University & Georgia Tech
Vanderbilt University
University of Chicago
National Committee Recommendations
Spurred by several national committees recommending support for graduate and postdoctoral training, the National Institutes of Health established a committee to review issues of concern in PhD and postdoctoral education and training and one of their recommendations was: development of NIH BEST Programs
Initial goals:
1. Develop sustainable approaches to broaden graduate and postgraduate training.
2. Encourage diverse scientific careers, not just be focused on pursuing an academic faculty career.
3. Provide broad institutional support and faculty engagement, as well as engagement of external partners representing diverse careers.
4. Designed to be a series of experiments aimed at identifying a range of the most effective practices to support the career development of all trainees.
Common BEST Consortium Programmatic Elements
A. Career Development Skills: Understanding career options, self‐reflections, making use of Individual Development Plans (IDP), networking, and job search skills.
B. Professional Development Skills: Team building, time management, oral and written communication, self‐reflection and cognitive assessment of leadership, conflict, and negotiation skills.
C. Experiential Learning: Brief intensive experiences with partners outside of the University (e.g. biotechnology, science writing) or, within the University.
D. Mentorship: Primary research advisor as well as peer mentoring and/or connecting to alumni and professionals in their career(s) of interest.
Meyers et al., 2016 FASEB J
Meyers et al., 2016 FASEB J
BEST Training Paradigm Differences are Based on Variations in Experimental Design at Different Institutions
Variations in:I. ScopeII. Trainee TargetIII. Programmatic ElementsIV. FacultyV. Partners
Pros and Cons of Testing and Evaluating Novel Career Development Training Paradigms
Pros:1. Increased (and widespread)
support for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows’ overall professional career development
2. Widespread acceptance and awareness of these efforts
3. Generate a productive student and postdoctoral trainee environment
4. Elimination of some of the cynicism element which currently pervades the U.S. Biomedical Workforce
Cons:1. Although there is evidence that
faculty support is increasing, more work needs to be done
2. Professional career development represents a significant cost investment, which will need to be maintained after funding ends
At the end of the NIH BEST Grant Experiment, we hope to have established that:
1. Training at U.S. institutions will value a commitment to development of higher levels of research skills as well as a full exposure to and education in preparing for a broader and diverse range of careers, which benefit from PhD and postdoctoral training.
2. This will be accomplished by the establishment of high caliber Offices of Professional Career Development at all U.S. research institutions focused on graduate and postdoctoral education.
3. Truth in Recruiting will become widespread, offering forthright information about career outcomes during PhD recruiting activities.
4. PhD and postdoctoral scientists will perform research for the intellectual challenge of scientific discovery, not because of a linear career path to a faculty job.
5. Recognition and support for the fact that not focusing on a faculty career is not viewed as failure as a creative scientist.
Vanderbilt BEST (ASPIRE) Program*
*funded by a BEST grant from the NIH Office of the Director, DP7OD018423
Augmenting Scholar Preparation and Integration with Research‐Related Endeavors
VU ASPIRE program team
Roger Chalkley,
SeniorAssociateDean for
BRET (PI)
Kathy Gould,AssociateDean for
Biomedical Sciences (PI)
Kate Stuart,ProgramManager
for Office of Career
Development
Kim Petrie,Director of
the Office of CareerDevelopment (PI)
Ashley Brady,Director of
Career EngagementAnd StrategicPartnerships
*funded by a BEST grant from the NIH Office of the Director, DP7OD018423
Vanderbilt ASPIRE initiative
Broaden training experiences so trainees are empowered to make well-informed career
decisions with confidence.
StagingExploration Phase Enhancement PhaseIMPACT Phase
Evaluation
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
ASPIRE program activities
skills
valuesinterests
Short course on career planning and career decision making• Self-assessment• Learn career options• Develop a plan
ASPIRE to Plan
ASPIRE to Connect
Beyond the Lab
ASPIREmodules
Externships/Internships
ASPIRE program activities
Workshop about building professional relationships
Etiquette and advice for meeting new people and maintaining meaningful connections
ASPIRE to Plan
ASPIRE to Connect
Beyond the Lab
ASPIREmodules
Externships/Internships
Welcome Keynote AddressAshley Brady
Breakout Session 1
Breakout Session 2
Breakout Session 3
Plenary SpeakerLauren Celano, Propel Careers
Networking Reception
Participants chose three:
Navigating Professional Conferences
Big Help for Small Talk
Leveraging LinkedIn
Acing the Interview
Media Training for Real Life
Identifying and Exploring Your Network
partnered with The Graduate School and International Student
& Scholar Services
ASPIRE to Connect (A2C)
*funded by a BEST grant from the NIH Office of the Director, DP7OD018423
ASPIRE program activities
Video interviews with alumni about their career
ASPIRE to Plan
ASPIRE to Connect
Beyond the Lab
ASPIREmodules
Externships/Internships
Beyond the Lab• Alumni Interviews• Different Career Fields• Published on YouTube
*funded by a BEST grant from the NIH Office of the Director, DP7OD018423
ASPIRE program activities
Short-courses in:1) Business & entrepreneurship2) Communication3) Clinical research4) Teaching
ASPIRE to Plan
ASPIRE to Connect
Beyond the Lab
ASPIREmodules
Externships/Internships
ASPIRE Modules 2014-2015
• Launched 6 modules
• Over 140 trainees participated
• Overwhelmingly positive feedback
• All modules to be offered again for 2016- 2017
*funded by a BEST grant from the NIH Office of the Director, DP7OD018423
ASPIRE program activities
Externships: Short-term company site visit or job shadowing experience
Internships: Professional, hands-on experience (including teaching)
ASPIRE to Plan
ASPIRE to Connect
Beyond the Lab
ASPIREmodules
Externships/Internships
Are trainees aware of ASPIRE?• March 2015 survey of PhD Students & Postdocs
• 93% knew about ASPIRE
*funded by a BEST grant from the NIH Office of the Director, DP7OD018423
Who has participated in ASPIRE?• March 2015 survey of PhD Students & Postdocs• 159 (59%) attended at least one ASPIRE event
• 65% PhD students• 70% female• 95% U.S. citizens or permanent residents• 14% Underrepresented minorities
*funded by a BEST grant from the NIH Office of the Director, DP7OD018423
Broadening Experiencesin Scientific Training
UC Davis
UC San Francisco
UC Irvine
University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical
Campus
Michigan State University
Wayne State University
University of Rochester
Cornell University
University of MassachusettsMedical School
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Rutgers University
New York University
Boston University
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Emory University & Georgia Tech
Vanderbilt University
University of Chicago
Big Experiment!
NIH BEST Awards
Increasing Rigor and Reproducibility
https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Rigor and Reproducibility
Rigor and Reproducibility
Upcoming Requirements
Current T32 Supplements
Experimental Design Course
13 – 2 hour sessions
Measurement
Variables Specificity
Sensitivity
Sample Size
Statisical Tests
Hypothesis
Aurgument
Independent
Reasoning
Deductive
Inductive
Dependent
Biostats Walk-in Clinics
Daily 12:00-1:15 pm
Biostats Walk in Clinics
Monday Health Services Research, Diagnosis, and Prognosis(comparative effectiveness & observational
Research)
Tuesday High-Dimensional Data (imaging, high throughput assays)
Wednesday Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Emergency & Critical Care Medicine
Thursday Clinical and Health Research
Friday Basic and Animal Research (not omics)
*some special topic days monthly, i.e. HIV themed research
REDCap is a web application for building and managing onlinesurveys and databases. You may create and design projects using:
1) the online method from your web browser using the OnlineDesigner;
2) the offline method by constructing a 'data dictionary' template filein Microsoft Excel, which can be later uploaded into REDCap.
Both surveys and databases (or a mixture of the two) can be builtusing these methods.
REDCap provides automated export procedures for seamless datadownloads to Excel and common statistical packages (SPSS, SAS,Stata, R), as well as a built-in project calendar, a scheduling module,ad hoc reporting tools, and advanced features, such as branchinglogic, file uploading, and calculated fields.
Labnodes is a platform that "connect the dots"between people, communities, resources &publications, and is a single site for accessingresources available at Vanderbilt.
Centers, groups, and individual laboratoriesshare resources (animal models, cells lines, orreagents), best practices for data acquisition &analysis for specific applications, and providescontact information for local experts.
Assessment
Probe competency and attitudes aroundexperimental design and data management.
Re-probe at the end of the semester andjust prior to the granting of the Ph.D.
Track the use of the biostatistics “walk-in”clinic, REDCap, and labnodes throughouttraining.
What do we hope to attain?
Provide the tools and expertise to increaserigor and reproducibility.
Change the culture to support bestpractices in design and management.
Identify and disseminate effective tools tothe broader scientific community.
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA