Perspective commentary from the Society for Pediatric Research: supporting early-stage pediatric physician–scientist success

TY - JOUR

T1 - Perspective commentary from the Society for Pediatric Research

T2 - supporting early-stage pediatric physician–scientist success

AU - Hurley, Edward

AU - Peeples, Eric S.

AU - Bates, Carlton M.

AU - Hunstad, David A.

AU - Barkin, Shari L.

N1 - Funding Information: Library of Funded Grants comprises >150 funded grants (including K, VA CDA, R03, R21, R01, and NIH Loan Repayment Program applications). Materials, often including summary statements and revised versions, and these examples are often used as teaching materials in workshops and seminars. Many institutions have similar collections of previously funded grant applications; ESIs should inquire about this potential resource with the local University grants officials. Funding Information: The need for tenacity and persistence in applying for grant funding cannot be overstated. A study of early-stage investigators applying to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases demonstrated that 32–43% of applicants stopped applying for NIH funding within 5 years of their first submission; this number increased only a few percent per year after 5 years.9 The NIH reports that the average duration of time from the first application to a first funded R01 award was between 3.9 and 6.2 years, indicating that some of those who chose not to submit revised applications upon initial rejection might have been funded if they had persisted.10 Funding Information: The UPMC's Department of Medicine also has a “K to R” program in which an ad hoc group of 3–4 faculties (some within the specific division and others with specific content expertise) meets with the R award applicant. The candidate, who is a “graduate” of the K writing course and is holding a K award, submits a Specific Aims page to the committee prior to the meeting. During the meeting, the candidate presents his or her Specific Aims and Preliminary Data sections (given that they have completed the previous course, it is assumed they know how to effectively assemble the rest of the proposal). The committee intensively critiques and questions the applicant, ultimately deciding to support or to defer the grant submission; typically, candidates present “deferred” proposals again 6 months later, after having done extensive work to revise the proposal. If the resulting R grant application is not funded, the committee reconvenes to assess the summary statement and assists the candidate in generating responses to the critiques. Since the program’s inception, six of the seven people who completed it obtained R01 funding, and the other received an R56 (an NIH bridge award to support work while an R01 resubmission is generated). Funding Information: However, the practical realities of being a pediatric researcher today dissuade some from entering or remaining in the field. While absolute dollars in the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget have risen, and an array of non-governmental agencies and foundations support discovery, NIH paylines remain relatively low, research “buying power” is constrained, and securing federal grants continues to be challenging. Moreover, competing priorities—such as high clinical demands in the academic environment or the lure of larger earnings from private practice or industry, especially in the face of student loan debt—can lead talented early-stage researchers to opt out of a research-focused career in academic pediatrics.1–4

PY - 2020/4/1

Y1 - 2020/4/1

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077445896&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85077445896&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41390-019-0745-5

DO - 10.1038/s41390-019-0745-5

M3 - Article

C2 - 31896124

AN - SCOPUS:85077445896

SN - 0031-3998

VL - 87

SP - 834

EP - 838

JO - Pediatric Research

JF - Pediatric Research

IS - 5

ER -