Publication Track Records as a Metric of Clinical Research Training Effectiveness

Abstract

Clinical research training programs exist across the country, but no quantitative studies have been performed to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the success of the clinical research training program at the University of Cincinnati by comparing the publication histories of pediatric fellows who graduated from the clinical and translational research master of science (MS) degree programs between 1995 and 2011 with fellows who did not pursue an MS degree. Among 296 pediatric fellows, 44 of 54 graduates (81%) published at least 1 first-authored paper, as compared with 149 of 242 (62%) fellows who did not obtain an MS degree (p<0.01). In multivariable analysis, 3-4 years after program completion, MS graduates published more papers overall (R2=0.10) and more first-authored papers than did non-MS graduates (R2=0.04). These findings suggest that graduate training in clinical and translational research is related to an increase in research productivity as assessed by publication rates.

NIH Grant Awards as a Metric of Clinical and Translational Research Training Effectiveness

“…We used logistic regression to evaluate the effect of graduating from the MSCTR on fellows' likelihood of receiving at least one grant award. We also evaluated the effect of the MSCTR on fellows' likelihood of obtaining at least one grant award by different type (K‐, R‐, and M‐series), and included age and sex as covariates, since past research has found these can be significant . We analyzed the amount of time to obtaining one's first grant by using a Kaplan–Meier plot and a Cox proportional hazards regression model with age and sex as covariates.…”

“…In one study, using an alumni survey, Goldhamer et al found that success in obtaining NIH grant funding is associated with starting a training program at a younger age, being a generalist, and successfully publishing projects emanating from coursework. Recently, we reported findings from a study that compared publication track records of pediatric fellows who graduated from our MS program versus comparable pediatric fellows who did not get the MS degree, showing that MS graduates publish more first‐authored articles, and more articles overall, than their counterparts . Additionally, men in the non‐MS group out‐published their women colleagues, but the gender gap was absent in the MS group.…”

Publication output target for ophthalmology subspecialty fellows in Australia

“…Whilst the minimum requirement for the number of surgical procedures and fellows' surgical outcomes has received much attention, there are no data on the outcomes of research training during ophthalmic subspecialty fellowship. The goal of this study was to evaluate the publication track record of fellows in Western Australia (WA) over a period of 28 years as a metric of clinical research training during ophthalmic subspecialty training and to establish a reasonable target for the number of research publications that can be expected from fellows during and after their fellowship training. A secondary objective was to examine whether publication track record prior to commencing fellowship has an impact on future bibliometric.…”

Teaching Translational Research to Medical Students: The New York University School of Medicine's Master's of Science in Clinical Investigation Dual‐Degree Program

“…All 62 CTSIs offer formal postdoctoral training programs, 33 of which offer clinical research master's degree programs to medical students . Although program descriptions and outcomes data have been published for other common dual‐degree programs (MD/PhD, MD/MPH, MD/MBA), published data regarding MSCI programs are sparse, particularly in the contexts of medical student MD/MSCI training . Experience sharing is important for designing new programs, improving established programs, and identifying solutions to structural challenges.…”

“…1 Although program descriptions and outcomes data have been published for other common dualdegree programs (MD/PhD, MD/MPH, MD/MBA), published data regarding MSCI programs are sparse, particularly in the contexts of medical student MD/MSCI training. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Experience sharing is important for designing new programs, improving established programs, and identifying solutions to structural challenges. Here we describe our MD/MSCI program to promote similar program development and to encourage an ongoing dialogue about educating the next generation of translational researchers.…”