1 What Are the Ingredients of a Successful Academic Research Career? Benjamin Littenberg, MD University of Vermont

2 The Problem Many young faculty join academic units to develop careers in investigation along with patient care and teaching. However, despite best intentions, few become independent investigators. Leadership view vs. faculty view

3 The Analysis Informal conversations with many experienced academics and young investigators have identified five factors essential for success as an investigative academic physician.

4 The Big Five Personal Characteristics Protected Time Skills Mentoring Supportive Environment

5 Advice to Leadership If investigators don’t have all 5 ingredients, they will not flourish. Your job as a research unit leader (Director, Chair, Dean, etc.) is to make sure that all 5 are in place in your unit. “Exactly how do I do that?”

6 Personal Characteristics Faculty must have: –Intelligence –Energy –Perseverance –Creativity –Organization Recruit carefully!

7 Protected time to study and work Protected from Clinical, Educational, and Administrative tasks Devoted to research Optimal: 80% for three years Some can succeed with as little as 50% protected time, but this is unusual. Failure to protect young faculty is the leading cause of failed research programs.

8 Specific Skills The mechanisms, knowledge, techniques, tools and lore of a specific field –Gene sequencing –Secondary data manipulation –Decision Analysis –Meta-analysis –Qualitative research –Cell culture ….the list goes on

9 General skills: The 3 R’s of Research Design, analysis, and communication – reading (critical review of the literature) –‘riting (presentation of proposals and results) –‘rithmetic (statistics, epidemiology, and study design) Fellowship level training Many post-fellowship faculty do not have a structured approach to acquiring and updating research skills. Leadership must model life-long learning.

10 Mentoring Virtually all successful faculty have high quality mentors who provide: –unvarnished constructive criticism –introductions to interesting people and opportunities –exposure to useful literatures and worthy topics –encouragement balanced with rigor. Not a natural skill: Many mentors are ineffective Leadership must train and develop mentors as well as protégés.

11 A supportive environment of inquiry Investigators rarely flourish in isolation. An environment of collaboration and collegiality has frequent formal and informal opportunities to –communicate with others in their field –safely present their ideas –receive feedback –develop collaborative relationships. Many academic units have no structured environmental supports to foster young investigator development.

12 Advice to Investigators Consider your own characteristics Get protected time Build your skills systematically Cultivate mentors Seek out a supportive environment “Exactly how do I do that?”

13 Consider your own characteristics Do you have the intelligence and creativity? –Probably yes Do you have the energy? –Competing factors: Doctoring, teaching, relationships, family, exercise, hobbies, sleep Do you have the perseverance? –Gratifications are very delayed in academics Are you well organized? Be very, very critical!

14 Protected Time Negotiate, wheedle, beg, borrow, steal Institutional training grants (K12,etc.) Fellowships (ACP, ACS, AHA, etc.) Career development awards (K23, etc.) Self-fund by working “part-time” Time = Money

15 Assess Your Skills Figure out what you need to know Figure out how you like to learn Be resourceful: –Degree programs –Classes –Readings –Tutorials –Web-based learning –Meetings This never stops!

16 Get Mentored Approach a potential mentor: –Willing and able to give you time and attention and honest feedback –Not necessarily in your department or field –Not necessarily likable Negotiate the terms of engagement –Nothing is free Maintain multiple mentors over time and space.

17 Environment: Buy or Build? Know what you want: peers and collaborators Move to the right place Create it locally –Local interest group –Coffee klatsch –Book club –Call up strangers –Advertise: lists, newsletters Take responsibility for your community.

18 The Big Five Personal Characteristics Protected Time Skills Mentoring Supportive Environment Don’t be fooled: without all 5, you will not become an independent investigator.

19 Thank you! Benjamin Littenberg, MD University of Vermont