Premium
Minority Travel Fellows Demonstrate Successful Career Development in Long‐Term Study
Author(s) -
Bruthers C. Brooke,
Frank Martin,
Matyas Marsha Lakes
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.517.24
Subject(s) - medical education , presentation (obstetrics) , publishing , professional development , career development , psychology , medicine , political science , law , radiology
Participation in professional meetings builds critical presentation skills and professional networks; both are especially important for trainees from underrepresented minority groups. Travel fellowships, such as the APS/NIDDK Minority Travel Fellows (MTF) Program, seek to address this issue. In the current study, 124 past MTFs were surveyed to assess program impacts. The survey provided information on career development (education, training positions, papers published, grants submitted, etc.), networking (continued contact with other MTFs and mentors), and perceived program impacts. Results show that the vast majority (94%) of past MTFs have continued in their physiological studies. About half (47%) of respondents were employed physiologists, 25% were postdoctoral fellows, and 17% were graduate students. Past MTFs demonstrated varying levels of career development, with success in both publishing and research funding. The vast majority spent a significant part of their time engaged in physiology or physiology‐related research. The large majority of past MTFs pointed out strong benefits received from the program. Overall results suggest that the program has long‐term positive impacts for MTFs and provides a program model for other professional societies. This program and study were sponsored by a grant from the National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes, and Kidney Disease (NIDDK R13 DK39306).