American Evaluation Association Evaluations of Biomedical Research Training Programs Designed to Broaden Career Pathways Panel Session 1608 American Evaluation Association Evaluation 2016 October 28, 2016
Session Presenters Julie Mason – National Cancer Institute James Corrigan Chair Julie Mason – National Cancer Institute Assessing Early Outputs of a Program Exposing Postdoctoral Fellows to Careers Beyond Research Madeleine Wallace – Windrose Vision Transforming Biomedical Training: Cross-site Evaluation of the NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) Program Marietta Damond – The Madrillon Group Outcome Evaluation of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Summer Research Training Institutes Michelle Berny-Lang – National Cancer Institute Evaluation of the VHA/NCI Big Data Scientist Training Enhancement Program (BD-STEP)
Programs Vary in Multiple Ways Extramural vs intramural Career stage targeted: new/early vs established Program age (established vs relatively new) Program size (trainees per cohort and overall) Sponsorship (single vs multiple) Training delivery methods Topic (scientific topic area vs career options)
Topics Evaluation design & implementation Analytic methods Measures used & data sources Findings & lessons learned Future plans
Key Issues Need for broader perspective on pathways to sustainable biomedical research careers Sole emphasis on academic careers not consistent with currently available pathways and opportunities Programs are starting to reflect preparation for varied career trajectories Challenges in maintaining a biomedical research workforce with evolving research skills Your suggestions for improvement