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Fellowship Research Goals
Cari McCarty, Ph.D.November 2, 2012
Divisions of General Pediatrics
and Adolescent Medicine, University of Washington
Center for Child Health Behavior and Development
Seattle Children’s Hospital
Outline
Goals of fellowship Task management Selecting a research project Identifying and working with mentors Research resources at Children’s and the
UW
6 Goals of a fellowship
(1) Identify your mission (and agenda) You want to be known for it
(2) Establish mentor(s) You will need them at every stage of your
career
(3) Acquire skills (clinical, research) This is a good time and venue to do so
Goals, continued
(4) Gain practical experience No substitute for it
(5) Have a job/professional talk One project should be ready to present by the
Fall of your second year
(6) Collect pilot data (if interested in research career) You will need it to apply for grants
Caveats
Have passion for what you work on Don’t be afraid to take some chances (say
“yes” often) Don’t spread yourself too thin (don’t be
afraid to say “no”) Don’t take an “elective” approach to your
fellowship
What is your time situation?
Length of fellowship How much time and interest in research? When is your dedicated research time? Are you planning on course work? Where are you headed?
How will you divide your time?
Research Patient care Seminars and conferences Administration/Leadership Course work Teaching
Task Management Strategy:
Mission Statement
Concise statement of what you intend to contribute
Provides you with» Identity» Guiding framework for planning» Rationale for saying YES or NO» Focus ...
Mission Statement
To improve the emotional and behavioral health of children and adolescents through enhanced scientific understanding, promoting social-emotional competencies, and disseminating high-quality treatments
Task Management Strategy:
Objectives at 3 Time Points ~ 6 years: Big goal
» Test an intervention to improve adherence to asthma guidelines
~ 3 years: Worthy in & of itself» Identify reasons for guideline non-adherence
Immediate Steps» Learn methods (epidemiology, biostatistics)
and content areas (chronic illness care, health systems, provider behavior)
Time Sinks
Waiting for data (be realistic) Dead end projects Excessive course work (? advanced
degree) Job search Moonlighting
Selecting Projects: Goals
Acquire skills in research design, methods Develop your agenda Work with particular people Have a product available for job talk
Selecting Projects: Criteria
“FINER” criteriaUseful for Evaluating Fellowship Projects
From: Hulley and Cummings, Designing Clinical Research.
Feasible
• Adequate data• Adequate expertise• Affordable in time and money• Manageable in scope• How risky is the project? (Different
projects have different degrees of risk, e.g. RCTs are high risk, database studies are low risk)
Interesting to you How interesting is the project idea to you? Is the question important? (so what????) Will the results be a contribution no matter
what you find? Will it lead to subsequent questions? Will the project enable you to develop
important skills? With whom will you work?
Novel
• Confirms or refutes previous findings
• Extends previous findings
• Provides new findings
Ethical
• IRB
• NIH Inclusion Policy
• Cultural competence
Relevant
• To scientific knowledge
• To clinical and health policy
• To future research
Choosing a research project
Draw your inspiration from your observations
Do something important: frequency, severity, something you can impact, new information
Do something that is feasible given time and resources
It should lead to subsequent studies
Selecting a project, cont’d
Strike a balance between independence and apprenticeship: make sure you have something that is your own
If feasible, pursue more than one at a time (smoothes down times, decreases risk)
Develop a diverse portfolio
Cultural Competence in Research
Collect and examine data by subgroup, when possible
Develop and validate linguistic and culturally appropriate measures
Disseminate best research practices as they pertain to racial/ethnic minority health
Striving for cultural competence is a process, not a finite action
Identifying Mentors
A mentor is a close, trusted, and experienced counselor or guide.
Mentors provide methodologic expertise, guidance, moral support, connections.
They are critical to success in academia They must be invested in your career You can (and should) have more than one
Working with a Mentor
The success of the relationship depends on you
There are 5 keys to a good relationship
Be Proactive
Do not wait for mentors to contact you
Meet with them regularly (how frequently depends on the project)
Schedule the next meeting at the end of the prior one
Be Respectful
Mentors are typically very busy Ask when it will be convenient to
meet Be punctual (even if they are not) Give them adequate time to review
materials (1-2 weeks for a grant or manuscript)
Be Organized
Prepare a list of points to cover at your meeting
Have some provisional ideas about what you want to do
Be Responsive
Take their advice & comments seriously
Even if you disagree with them, others are likely to raise similar concerns
Give them feedback on how you responded to their advice
Be Appreciative
Acknowledge their time & efforts Keep them abreast of your progress Let them know how helpful they
have been Let their boss know, too
Research Resources
Children’s
CCHBD Hearst Foundation Fellowship Grants (up to $8000; due 3/15/13)
CCHBD Small Grant mechanism (up to $10,000; due 12/15/12)
UW
Catalyst
ITHS - http://www.iths.org/
Research Funding Service
Optional Self-Reflection Assignment
Write out a succinct statement of your research goals for the next year, 3 years, and 6 years
What resources do you need to achieve your goals?
Who are your mentors?