Networks of trainees: examining the effects of attending an interdisciplinary research training camp on the careers of new obesity scholars

Abstract

Students training in obesity research, prevention, and management face the challenge of developing expertise in their chosen academic field while at the same time recognizing that obesity is a complex issue that requires a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach. In appreciation of this challenge, the Canadian Obesity Network (CON) has run an interdisciplinary summer training camp for graduate students, new career researchers, and clinicians for the past 8 years. This paper evaluates the effects of attending this training camp on trainees’ early careers. We use social network analysis to examine the professional connections developed among trainee Canadian obesity researchers who attended this camp over its first 5 years of operation (2006–2010). We examine four relationships (knowing, contacting, and meeting each other, and working together) among previous trainees. We assess the presence and diversity of these relationships among trainees across different years and disciplines and find that interdisciplinary contact and working relationships established at the training camp have been maintained over time. In addition, we evaluate the qualitative data on trainees’ career trajectories and their assessments of the impact that the camp had on their careers. Many trainees report that camp attendance had a positive impact on their career development, particularly in terms of establishing contacts and professional relationships. Both the quantitative and the qualitative results demonstrate the importance of interdisciplinary training and relationships for career development in the health sciences.

Utilizing a Journal Club to Build Research Competencies in a Cross-Disciplinary Environment

“…Teamwork and collaboration, broad conceptual knowledge of the research discipline, comprehensive understanding of their research field, communication, critical thinking, research design, research ethics, and knowledge transfer (Burgess et al, 2018;Verderame et al, 2018) have all been identified as core competencies for researchers. Due to the inherent complexity of health issues, there is also an increasing importance in openness and the capacity for cross-disciplinary work within health research (Burgess et al, 2018;Godley, Glenn, Sharma, & Spence, 2014). ere is, however, a paucity of scholarly literature focused on the development and implementation of practical strategies for research trainee competency building.…”

“…Although effective, the competence-building strategies put forward by Carr et al (2018) and journal club formats described by Vadaparampil et al (2014) and Godley et al (2014) are resource intensive. Executing these strategies would not be feasible within most research institute settings, where the responsibility for competency-building activities outside of the scientist-trainee relationship is held by the trainees themselves.…”

Programmatic Efforts at the National Institutes of Health to Promote and Support the Careers of Women in Biomedical Science

“…Although initiating an interdisciplinary research program can be difficult because of institutional or departmental silos, 12 such programs are highly beneficial to trainees. Through participating in an interdisciplinary research program, BIRCWH scholars gain an appreciation for the methodology and knowledge of other disciplines.…”

“…Through participating in an interdisciplinary research program, BIRCWH scholars gain an appreciation for the methodology and knowledge of other disciplines. 12 Further, interdisciplinary research provides an opportunity to grow and maintain a professional network, 13 and larger network reach typically leads to more publications and a higher h -index. 14 Indeed, there is evidence that participation in the BIRCWH program may be a positive contributor to later professional success, as indicated by the number of BIRCWH scholars receiving subsequent NIH funding.…”