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Lessons Learned from the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) Awards
Author(s) -
Labosky Patricia
Publication year - 2016
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.30.1_supplement.116.2
Subject(s) - workforce , career pathways , training (meteorology) , mentorship , creativity , medical education , variety (cybernetics) , public relations , best practice , political science , business , engineering ethics , psychology , medicine , engineering , computer science , physics , artificial intelligence , meteorology , law
Success of the entire biomedical research enterprise relies on the creativity, innovation, and dedication of the scientific workforce. There is ongoing concern that the long training time and the declining percentage of PhD graduates that obtain independent academic research positions are making biomedical research a less attractive career. Additionally, although many graduates are moving into essential research‐related occupations rather than research‐intensive positions, many current training programs do little to prepare trainees for these other career options. The NIH is committed to supporting a sustainable and robust workforce equipped to address the greatest challenges and opportunities in biomedical research, recognizing that traditional research‐intensive positions are not the only means by which PhD graduates can meaningfully contribute to the biomedical research enterprise. To address this need and based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group on Biomedical Workforce , the NIH Common Fund launched the “Strengthening the Biomedical Research Workforce” program as one component of a trans‐NIH strategy to enhance training opportunities for early career scientists to better prepare them for a variety of career options in the dynamic biomedical workforce landscape. These awards, also called the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) awards, are providing support for institutions to develop innovative approaches to complement traditional research training in biomedical sciences. Institutions are encouraged to partner with industry or other entities to provide a wealth of diverse training opportunities for their trainees, and the awardees have formed a network to share experiences and determine best practices. One of the novelties of this program is the NIH cross‐site evaluation of all the programs. The desired impacts of the program include: 1) enhancing trainee agency to make career decisions, 2) reduced time to desired, non‐training, non‐terminal career opportunities and reduced time in postdoctoral positions, and 3) the creation and/or further development of institutional infrastructure to continue the BEST‐like activities. This rigorous analysis will assess impact at the home institutions, and proven approaches will be widely disseminated throughout the training community. Support or Funding Information These awards are supported by the NIH Common Fund.