October 28, 2014
We have seen increased interest in the biomedical workforce by Congress and especially by our community. From our end we’ve in particular observed heightened attention to how the dynamics of the workforce impact researchers in the early stages of their careers. So the topic definitely deserves our continued attention and I thought in light of this it’d be a good time to share some of NIH’s analyses on one specific aspect of this that my office has been closely examining. ….
August 8, 2014
It has been a while since I’ve discussed the participation of women in researchand NIH extramural programs, and following up on a recent workshop we held on the advancement of women in biomedical careers, I thought it would be a good time to revisit updated data and discuss issues concerning women in biomedical research.
August 5, 2014
While many of the NIH Advisory Committee to the NIH Director (ACD) on the Biomedical Research Workforce recommendations already have been put into effect (as discussed here on Rock Talk), we continue to follow through on our implementation goals. ….
June 30, 2014
A major report on the Physician-Scientist Workforce was presented and discussed at the most recent Advisory Council to the Director (ACD) meeting. It was a highly anticipated follow-up to the Biomedical Workforce report from a couple years earlier. I want to follow-up my earlier post with a closer look at some key points presentation by the Physician-Scientist Workforce (PSW) working group.
June 6, 2014
Nature Medicine asked me to share my thoughts on the role of mentorship in the biomedical workforce, and I want to share this article with Rock Talk readers, as well.
Mentorship Matters for the Biomedical Workforce: The mentorship of early-career scientists is necessary to their individual career success and the future of the biomedical research enterprise as a whole. Recently launched NIH programs and tools aim to facilitate this important type of training. ….
April 29, 2014
The strength of the biomedical research enterprise depends on new researchers becoming independent NIH-funded researchers, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives for solving scientific questions. As we have discussed here and in other venues, we are keenly aware that the long training period, aging of the biomedical workforce, and the fiscally challenging times all impact the ability of individuals to move from training positions into independent research positions. ….
March 18, 2014
Biomedical science and healthcare research are generating increasingly large and complex sets of data, from many different subfields. …. In February of 2013 I wrote about NIH’s request for community input on how to best prepare the research workforce to capitalize on big data. Since then, the BD2K group has announced its flagship programs, and welcomed Philip E. Bourne as NIH’s first Associate Director for Data Science. Now, I’m excited to update you on the important research training programs that are part of the BD2K initiative. ….
March 12, 2014
NIH’s biomedical research workforce initiatives, which implement Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) recommendations, include improving graduate student and postdoctoral research training through a number of measures, including increasing postdoctoral stipends to reflect years of training, and considering policies on benefits. In February we announced increases to NRSA stipend levels in the NIH Guide. Today, I’d like to talk about how we are proceeding with evaluating postdoc benefits.
December 30, 2013
The biomedical research enterprise relies on engaging talented researchers from all groups, including individuals from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research. As I described earlier here on the blog, NIH has planned the launch of several programs to increase workforce diversity. I’m excited to let you know that on December 19 we issued the funding announcements for the three core initiatives that make up the Common Fund “Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-Funded Workforce” program. ….
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