Development and evaluation of a six-day training program in supportive oncology research

AbstractObjectiveEarly career investigators have few opportunities for targeted training in supportive oncology research. To address this need, we developed, implemented, and evaluated an intensive, six-day workshop on methods in supportive oncology research for trainees and junior faculty across multiple disciplines.MethodA multidisciplinary team of supportive oncology researchers developed a workshop patterned after the clinical trials workshop offered jointly by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and American Association of Cancer Research. The curriculum included lectures and a mentored experience of writing a research protocol. Each year since 2015, the workshop has accepted and trained 36 early career investigators. Over the course of the workshop, participants present sections of their research protocols daily in small groups led by senior researchers, and have dedicated time to write and revise these sections. Primary outcomes for the workshop included the frequency of completed protocols by the end of the workshop, a pre- and posttest assessing participant knowledge, and follow-up surveys of the participants and their primary mentors.ResultOver three years, the workshop received 195 applications; 109 early career researchers were competitively selected to participate. All participants (109/109, 100%) completed writing a protocol by the end of their workshop. Participants and their primary mentors reported significant improvements in their research knowledge and skills. Each year, participants rated the workshop highly in terms of satisfaction, value, and likelihood of recommending it to a colleague. One year after the first workshop, most respondents (29/30, 96.7%) had either submitted their protocol or written at least one other protocol.Significance of resultsWe developed a workshop on research methods in supportive oncology. More early career investigators applied for the workshop than capacity, and the workshop was fully attended each year. Both the workshop participants and their primary mentors reported improvement in research skills and knowledge.

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Association of financial conflicts of interest with academic success among junior faculty in hematology and oncology.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.2080 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 2080-2080

Author(s):

Angela J. Fought ◽

Andrew A. Davis ◽

Melissa M. Shaw ◽

Vinay Prasad ◽

Suneel Deepak Kamath

Keyword(s):

Academic Success ◽

Career Success ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Junior Faculty ◽

Early Career ◽

H Index ◽

Cancer Centers ◽

American Society ◽

Number Of Publications ◽

Nih Funding

2080 Background: Financial conflict of interest (COI) represents a complex issue in hematology and oncology. Little is known about when COIs develop during a career and if these correlate with early career success. We evaluated self-reported COIs for junior faculty members at 10 academic cancer centers and examined if these financial relationships with industry correlated with measures of academic career success. Methods: The study evaluated 229 assistant professors from the top 10 cancer centers based on the 2018 US News Cancer rankings. Faculty characteristics were determined from hospital websites including the number of years since completing fellowship. Data regarding National Institute of Health (NIH) funding were obtained. Industry funds (Sunshine Act funds; SAF) were identified from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments database from 2013-2017. Self-reported COIs were obtained from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) or American Society of Hematology (ASH) disclosures databases, and through review of disclosures from recent publications. Measures of academic success included h-index and number of publications. We assessed the influence of number of COIs and SAF received on measures of academic success. Results: Of the 229 included faculty, 45% were female, 39% graduated fellowship in 2015 or later, 35% were double-boarded, 40% had dual degrees and 15% received NIH funding. Approximately 46% of faculty had at least 1 COI. COIs (ASCO/ASH) were positively correlated with COIs self-reported in publications and total SAF (Spearman correlations 0.57 and 0.54, both P < 0.01). The development of COIs and the number of SAF increased with years in practice (Spearman correlations 0.37 and 0.28, both P < 0.01). COIs and SAF correlated with h-index (Spearman correlation 0.40 and 0.41, both P < 0.01). After adjusting for years since fellowship, linear regression demonstrated that log-transformed h-index and number of publications were associated with SAF (P < 0.01) and COIs (ASCO/ASH) (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Financial COIs were present in nearly half of the faculty and increased with more time since completing fellowship. Measures of academic success were positively correlated with COIs (ASCO/ASH) and SAF. These data suggest that cultivating industry relationships may aid faculty in establishing early academic success.

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Introduction

European Comic Art ◽

10.3167/eca.2021.140201 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Fransiska Louwagie ◽

Simon Lambert

Keyword(s):

Early Career ◽

Online Delivery ◽

French Studies ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Bande Dessinee ◽

Patient Assistance ◽

Peer Reviewers ◽

The Uk ◽

The University

This thematic issue arises from the symposium ‘Tradition and Innovation in Franco-Belgian Bande dessinée’, held at the University of Leicester on 13 March 2020. Over three panels with a respective focus on ‘Revisiting the Classics’, ‘Contemporary Perspectives’, and ‘Reshaping Franco-Belgian Bande dessinée’, the symposium brought out a variety of perspectives on contemporary bande dessinée and its links to the Franco-Belgian tradition. The symposium saw the participation of a range of international contributors, including early career scholars, faculty, and artist contributors, based in Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, Canada, Panama, Israel, and the UK. We would like to thank our speakers for their contributions as well as for their flexibility in revising travel arrangements and, in some cases, arranging online delivery at short notice, as the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding in their respective countries at the time of the event. Our particular thanks go to Laurence Grove from the University of Glasgow for his keynote intervention entitled ‘The Relevance of Tintin’, and to graphic novelist Michel Kichka, who gave a keynote talk about the Franco-Belgian influences in his own work as well as a public seminar on his graphic novel Deuxième Génération. We are grateful to Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI), the Association for the Study of Modern and Contemporary France (ASMCF), the Society for French Studies (SFS), and the School of Arts at the University of Leicester for their sponsorship of the keynote sessions, the conference participation of comics artist Ilan Manouach, and travel and registration bursaries for early career researchers. For this follow-up publication, we express our particular thanks to all contributors and peer-reviewers, to Wallonia-Brussels International for support to the translation, and to the editors of European Comic Art, for their kind and patient assistance.

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The ASH Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI) Positively Impacts The Success Of Early Career Hematologists In Patient-Oriented Clinical Research

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v122.21.1679.1679 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 122 (21) ◽

pp. 1679-1679

Author(s):

Linda J Burns ◽

Charles P Clayton ◽

James N. George ◽

Beverly S. Mitchell ◽

Scott D. Gitlin

Keyword(s):

Career Development ◽

Clinical Research ◽

Research Training ◽

Junior Faculty ◽

Early Career ◽

Pediatric Hematology ◽

Research Collaborations ◽

Equivalent Number ◽

American Society ◽

Training Institute

Abstract There is a recognized need to translate scientific discoveries to patient-oriented clinical research (POCR) in order to improve human health. To overcome obstacles that interfere with the recruitment and retention of physicians for POCR careers, in 2003 the American Society of Hematology (ASH) developed the Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI), an enhanced and extensive mentored experience for early career POCR investigators. The ASH CRTI is limited to 20 trainees/year (senior fellows or junior faculty) with an equivalent number of faculty mentors. The year-long Institute includes a 1 week workshop with didactic sessions on a variety of POCR and career development topics, disease-specific small group sessions focusing on research protocol development with biostatistician participation, and one-on-one interactions with faculty and representatives with expertise in career-development awards from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Trainees have additional interactions with their small groups and CRTI mentors throughout the ensuing year to promote career development and research collaborations. Communications between the trainees’ CRTI and home institution mentors are a vital component of the program. Evaluation of the POCR career development successes of the first 7 CRTI classes (140 trainees) was performed by reviewing trainees’ curriculum vitaes and their responses to an electronically distributed survey. Gender, racial and ethnic distributions were similar to that of U.S. Hematology/Oncology fellowship programs. The majority (66%) of trainees were senior fellows or graduates of adult hematology/oncology training programs, 31% of pediatric hematology/oncology programs and the remainder of other hematology-related programs. Eighty-six percent of trainees had self-described success establishing a POCR study and 85% considered themselves clinical investigators. Nearly half of trainees had positions that were primarily research focused. CRTI trainees received at least 144 external grant awards plus additional internal awards, and had published 1035 peer-reviewed manuscripts,173 chapters and 115 review articles. Over 95% of trainees were satisfied with their CRTI experience and testimonials supported their impression that CRTI had a significant impact on their career success. Enhancements introduced into the CRTI program, as a result of ongoing program evaluations, include broadening participant eligibility to include up to 5 international trainees per class to enhance global research collaborations and further enhancements to the trainee-mentor interactions. The outcomes of the ASH CRTI support the hypothesis that enhanced mentoring experiences contribute to the successful career development of physicians pursuing POCR careers. Disclosures: Clayton: American Society of Hematology: Employment.

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Following Up on Interdisciplinary Encounters: Benefits for Early Career Researchers

European Review ◽

10.1017/s1062798718000236 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. S6-S20 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Helen Bridle

Keyword(s):

Career Development ◽

Interdisciplinary Research ◽

Early Career ◽

Project Delivery ◽

Social Challenges ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

The Future

Interdisciplinarity is often quoted as a means to solve the complex social challenges faced by humanity, and the future of research is thus seen as increasingly interdisciplinary. However, there are risks and challenges to embarking on interdisciplinary research, particularly for early-career researchers. Encounters – bringing together early-career researchers to cultivate their interdisciplinary skills or to develop new projects – have been proposed and trialled as a means to boost interdisciplinarity amongst early-career researchers and equip them with the necessary skills for successful project delivery. However, little follow-up evaluation has been undertaken, especially considering career impacts several years after encounter participation. This article focuses on two encounter types and evaluates the level of interdisciplinary interactions obtained and the benefits experienced by participants. In conclusion, encounters are found to be highly successful, resulting in many projects and skills/career development. As such, further funding should be allocated to this type of event.

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Learning to review submissions to peer reviewed journals: how do they do it?

International Journal for Researcher Development ◽

10.1108/ijrd-07-2013-0011 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 6-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Brian Paltridge

Keyword(s):

Experiential Learning ◽

Information Transmission ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Learning By Doing ◽

Early Career ◽

Content Type ◽

Peer Reviews ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Practical Implications

PurposeThe aim of this study is to examine how reviewers for academic journals learn to carry out the task of peer review and the issues they face in doing this.Design/methodology/approachA total of 45 reviewers completed a questionnaire which asked about their experience in doing peer reviews, how they had learnt to do them, and the issues they faced in doing these reviews. Follow up emails were also sent to reviewers in order to seek further elaboration on the answers they had provided in the questionnaire.FindingsOver half of the reviewers had learnt to do reviews by reading reviews of their own submissions to peer‐reviewed journals. Others had learnt to write reviews by just doing them; that is, by practice. The most challenging aspect for the reviewers was writing reviewers' reports that were critical but still constructive. There was no consensus on the most straightforward aspects of writing peer reviews.Practical implicationsThe study has implications for reviewer development, proposing an experiential, “learning by doing” approach to the training of reviewers rather than a didactic, information transmission style one.Social implicationsThe study has implications for reviewer development, proposing an experiential, “learning by doing” approach to the training of reviewers rather than a didactic, information transmission style one.Originality/valueThe study provides insights into how reviewers learn to write peer reviews and the challenges they face in doing this. The paper also suggests strategies for improving reviewer development which can have benefits, especially for early career researchers.

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