Trends among biomedical investigators at top-tier research institutions

Abstract

The study findings provide information about early career paths of investigators at top-tier research institutions. In addition, the views of this successful cohort serve to inform the current dialogue and questions that remain about the future health of biomedical research and education in the United States. Educators, prospective and current students, and members of the policy community may find it useful to consider these findings and the questions they raise, some of which the authors present.

Measurement of Social Capital among Clinical Research Trainees

“…Success among early-career clinical and translational science trainees is known to be associated with physical capital (such as funding and technology), 1,2 human capital (such as education and skills), 3 and individual constraints (such as time and intelligence). 4 However, less is known about the role of social capital, which can be measured in a multitude of ways, 5 but is generally defined as "a set of relationships and shared values created and used by multiple individuals to solve collective problems in the present and future. "…”

“…The final scale had three items: (1) To what extent are you and your work colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh willing to help each other out? (2) To what extent are you and your work colleagues at other institutions willing to help each other out? (3) How well networked are you in your field?…”

The Burroughs Wellcome Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences

“…For example, participants supported by the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences obtained their first federal research grants at younger ages and mentored more graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who then secured faculty positions as compared to the results of nationwide studies on junior faculty overall (Willard & O'Neil, 1998). Studies of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada's Research Scholarship Program, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar Program, and the Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award Program also found that award recipients published more papers and accrued more citations to these papers than their unfunded applicant counterparts (Armstrong, Caverson, Adams, Taylor, & Olley, 1997;Lichtman & Oakes, 2001;Mavis & Katz, 2003).…”