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Michael G. Kurilla M.D., Ph.D.

NCATS Director of Clinical Innovation

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It Takes a Village, of Mentors

By: Jamie Doyle, Ph.D., Program Director, Division of Clinical Innovation

May 30, 2023

Several pressing biomedical research workforce issues have intensified in recent years: from the critical need to bolster diversity in science and medicine1 to the shrinking pool of postdocs2 to the enduring shortage of clinician scientists.3 The common thread uniting proposed solutions to these chronic issues is effective mentorship.1-7

 

NCATS continues to recognize the need for strong mentorship and agile approaches that adapt to evolving workforce needs. While the CTSA career development and training programs have always emphasized innovation and the need for continuous quality improvement, the new suite of CTSA K12 and T32 notices of funding opportunity (NOFO) underscore the importance of mentorship training and assessment to cultivate the best translational scientists and fortify the pathway to research independence. All applicants must describe their plans to implement evidence-based mentoring practices and include an assessment plan that monitors mentoring relationships. Mentors and assessments of mentorship plans are explicit review criteria.

 

Recently, NCATS funded an R13 conference grant to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to host the “Advancing the Science of Effective Mentorship” conference, which convened speakers and participants from numerous CTSA hubs from around the nation to engage in and share evidence-based tools, modules, and other approaches to scalable, culturally responsive mentorship education. Topics included programmatic structures that best support and incentivize mentorship, culturally responsive mentorship, tools for assessing mentoring relationships and programs, and more.

 

NCATS continuously encourages innovative and timely scientific meetings, conferences and workshops that are consistent with its mission of advancing translational sciences through support from the R13 mechanism. Interested applicants must send a letter seeking approval before submitting an application.

 

The next Request-to-Submit date for R13 Conferences and Scientific Meetings applications is November 1st for the December 12th application deadline. Conference grants supported with funding from the CTSA Program must: 1) be from a primary CTSA institution or a CTSA partnering institution (see list on the CTSA Program UM1 Budget Request Tables page, 2) address the CTSA Program goals (listed on the About the CTSA Program page), and 3) have consortium-wide impact and/or are intended for participation by multiple CTSAs. CTSA supported conference grants must comply with NCATS-specific Conference Grant Information.

 

Details on how to apply can be found here.

 

Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.

 

- John C. Crosby

 

This Mike's Blog was featured in June 2023's Ansible. Subscribe to receive upcoming Ansible newsletters. 

 

 

References

  1. Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce (WGDBRW) TACttDA. Draft Report of the Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce. 2012.
  2. NIH Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on Re-envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training. NIH Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on Re-envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training 2023 Virtual Public Listening Sessions,. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 2023.
  3. NIH Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group. Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group Report. 2014. https://acd.od.nih.gov/documents/reports/PSW_Report_ACD_06042014.pdf
  4. Beech BM, Calles-Escandon J, Hairston KG, Langdon SE, Latham-Sadler BA, Bell RA. Mentoring Programs for Underrepresented Minority Faculty in Academic Medical Centers: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Review. Acad Med. Apr 2013;88(4):541-549. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e31828589e3
  5. Kashiwagi DT, Varkey P, Cook DA. Mentoring Programs for Physicians in Academic Medicine: A Systematic Review. Article. Acad Med. Jul 2013;88(7):1029-1037. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e318294f368
  6. National Academies of Sciences E, Medicine. The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM. The National Academies Press; 2019:306.
  7. Straus SE, Straus C, Tzanetos K, Intl Campaign Revitalise Acad M. Career choice in academic medicine: Systematic review. Review. J Gen Intern Med. Dec 2006;21(12):1222-1229. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00599.x

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