Subject(s)
Budgets , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Research Support as Topic , Research/economics , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/economics , Education, Graduate/economics , Humans , Pandemics/economics , Pneumonia, Viral/economics , Research Personnel/economics , Universities/economicsABSTRACT
Despite substantial investment and effort by federal agencies and institutions to improve the diversity of the professoriate, progress is excruciatingly slow. One program that aims to enhance faculty diversity is the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences. IRACDA supports the training of a diverse cohort of postdoctoral scholars who will seek academic research and teaching careers. The San Diego IRACDA program has trained 109 postdoctoral scholars since its inception in 2003; 59% are women and 63% are underrepresented (UR) Black/African-American, Latinx/Mexican-American, and Indigenous scientists. Sixty-four percent obtained tenure-track faculty positions, including a substantial 32% at research-intensive institutions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis threatens to upend IRACDA efforts to improve faculty diversity, and academia is at risk of losing a generation of diverse, talented scholars. Here, a group of San Diego IRACDA postdoctoral scholars reflects on these issues and discusses recommendations to enhance the retention of UR scientists to avoid a "lost generation" of promising UR faculty scholars.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Cultural Diversity , Education, Graduate , Faculty, Medical/statistics & numerical data , Fellowships and Scholarships/statistics & numerical data , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , Universities/statistics & numerical data , California , Education, Graduate/economics , Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data , Faculty, Medical/economics , Female , Humans , Male , Minority Groups/statistics & numerical data , National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) , National Institutes of Health (U.S.) , Research Personnel/economics , Research Personnel/education , Research Personnel/statistics & numerical data , Salaries and Fringe Benefits/statistics & numerical data , United States , Universities/economics , Women/educationSubject(s)
Biomedical Research/economics , Biomedical Research/legislation & jurisprudence , Budgets/legislation & jurisprudence , COVID-19 , International Cooperation/legislation & jurisprudence , Research Personnel , Research Support as Topic/legislation & jurisprudence , COVID-19/economics , COVID-19/epidemiology , Clinical Trials as Topic/economics , Humans , Research Personnel/economics , Research Personnel/psychology , Uncertainty , United Kingdom , Universities/economicsSubject(s)
2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273 , Dissent and Disputes , Drug Industry , Inventors/legislation & jurisprudence , National Institutes of Health (U.S.) , Patents as Topic/legislation & jurisprudence , Research Personnel/legislation & jurisprudence , 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273/economics , 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273/genetics , 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273/supply & distribution , Drug Industry/economics , Drug Industry/legislation & jurisprudence , Humans , Inventors/economics , National Institutes of Health (U.S.)/economics , National Institutes of Health (U.S.)/legislation & jurisprudence , Ownership/economics , Ownership/legislation & jurisprudence , Public-Private Sector Partnerships/economics , Public-Private Sector Partnerships/legislation & jurisprudence , Research Personnel/economics , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , United StatesABSTRACT
Thousands of UK doctoral students and early-career researchers shared the repercussions of lockdown on their work and wellbeing.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Research Personnel/psychology , Social Isolation , Workplace , Administrative Personnel/psychology , Burnout, Psychological , COVID-19 , Career Mobility , Efficiency , Emotions , Female , Humans , Loneliness/psychology , Male , Research Personnel/economics , Research Support as Topic , Social Media , Social Support , Stress, Psychological/epidemiology , Stress, Psychological/etiology , Surveys and Questionnaires , United Kingdom/epidemiology , Universities , Work Performance , Work-Life BalanceABSTRACT
As the world attempts to cope with the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers about to start PhDs and postdocs face particular challenges.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/psychology , Betacoronavirus/pathogenicity , Career Choice , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Research Personnel/psychology , Adult , Biomedical Research/organization & administration , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Pneumonia, Viral/psychology , Research Personnel/economics , SARS-CoV-2 , UncertaintyABSTRACT
Early-career researchers feel discouraged from exposing vulnerability even during a global crisis.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Research Personnel/psychology , Authorship , Burnout, Professional/etiology , Burnout, Professional/prevention & control , Burnout, Professional/psychology , COVID-19 , Career Mobility , Competitive Behavior , Economic Competition , Efficiency , Emotions , Humans , Publishing/statistics & numerical data , Research Personnel/economics , Research Support as Topic , Self Care , Self Concept , Social Isolation , Travel , Work Performance , WorkplaceABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a detrimental effect on research. However, little has been done to identify and solve the unique challenges faced by early career investigators (ECIs). As a group of American Cancer Society-funded ECIs, we provide recommendations for solving these challenges in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Career Mobility , Research Personnel , Work-Life Balance , Humans , Mentoring , Research Personnel/economics , Societies, ScientificABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Governments commonly fund research with specific applications in mind. Such mechanisms may facilitate 'research translation' but funders may employ strategies that can also undermine the integrity of both science and government. We estimated the prevalence and investigated correlates of funder efforts to suppress health behaviour intervention trial findings. METHODS: Our sampling frame was lead or corresponding authors of papers (published 2007-2017) included in a Cochrane review, reporting findings from trials of interventions to improve nutrition, physical activity, sexual health, smoking, and substance use. Suppression events were based on a previous survey of public health academics. Participants answered questions concerning seven suppression events in their efforts to report the trial, e.g., [I was ] "asked to suppress certain findings as they were viewed as being unfavourable." We also examined the association between information on study funder, geographical location, targeted health behaviour, country democracy rating and age of publication with reported suppression. FINDINGS: We received responses from 104 authors (50%) of 208 eligible trials, from North America (34%), Europe (33%), Oceania (17%), and other countries (16%). Eighteen percent reported at least one of the seven suppression events relating to the trial in question. The most commonly reported suppression event was funder(s) expressing reluctance to publish because they considered the results 'unfavourable' (9% reported). We found no strong associations with the subject of research, funding source, democracy, region, or year of publication. CONCLUSIONS: One in five researchers in this global sample reported being pressured to delay, alter, or not publish the findings of health behaviour intervention trials. Regulation of funder and university practices, establishing study registries, and compulsory disclosure of funding conditions in scientific journals, are needed to protect the integrity of public-good research.
Subject(s)
Financial Management/trends , Health Behavior , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Research Design , Research Personnel/economics , Translational Research, Biomedical/economics , Alcoholism/prevention & control , Diet, Healthy , Europe , Exercise , Government Programs/economics , Humans , North America , Preventive Medicine/methods , Sexual Health , Surveys and Questionnaires , Tobacco Use/prevention & controlSubject(s)
Anger , Faculty/psychology , Research Personnel/economics , Research Personnel/psychology , Stress, Psychological , Unemployment/psychology , Universities/economics , COVID-19/economics , COVID-19/epidemiology , Fear , Female , Humans , Leadership , Male , Pandemics/economics , Students/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Unemployment/statistics & numerical data , United Kingdom , United States , Victoria , WorkloadSubject(s)
Financing, Government , Firearms/statistics & numerical data , Gun Violence/statistics & numerical data , Research Personnel/economics , Research Support as Topic , Research/economics , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S./economics , Child , Female , Gun Violence/prevention & control , Humans , Male , Pregnancy , United States/epidemiologySubject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Personnel Selection/legislation & jurisprudence , Research Personnel/legislation & jurisprudence , Research Personnel/organization & administration , Travel/legislation & jurisprudence , COVID-19/prevention & control , Cooperative Behavior , Female , Humans , International Cooperation , Male , Research Personnel/economics , Research Personnel/psychology , Vaccination/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
For junior investigators starting their independent careers, the challenges of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic extend beyond lost time and are career threatening. Without intervention, academic science could lose a generation of talent.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Faculty , Career Mobility , Female , Humans , Research Personnel/economics , SexismSubject(s)
Bibliometrics , Decision Making , Personnel Selection/methods , Research Personnel/economics , Research Personnel/statistics & numerical data , Unemployment , Universities/organization & administration , Dissent and Disputes , Faculty/standards , Faculty/statistics & numerical data , Peer Review, Research/standards , Personnel Selection/ethics , Research Personnel/psychology , Research Personnel/standards , Teaching/standards , Unemployment/statistics & numerical data , United KingdomSubject(s)
European Union/economics , Financing, Organized/economics , Financing, Organized/trends , Research Support as Topic/economics , Research Support as Topic/trends , Research/economics , Research/trends , COVID-19 , Data Management/economics , Entrepreneurship/economics , Europe , European Union/organization & administration , Female , Goals , Humans , Information Dissemination , International Cooperation , Male , Open Access Publishing/economics , Research/organization & administration , Research Personnel/economics , Sexism/prevention & control , Technology TransferABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted autism research and services. Early career researchers (ECRs) are particularly vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic on job security and career development. The goal of this study was to capture the challenges ECRs are facing during the pandemic and the supports that are needed for career development and research. ECRs were invited to complete an online survey that focused on four major areas; the impact of COVID-19 on their research; changes in productivity due to COVID-19; changes to training due to COVID-19; and current mental health. 150 ECRs were eligible and provided sufficient data for inclusion. All but one ECRs reported their research had been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Reductions in productivity were reported by 85% of ECRs. The biggest impacts included recruitment of participants, increased needs at home and personal mental health. ECRs reported a 3-fold increase in burnout, as well as increased anxiety. ECR supports, such as funding, flexibility, and tenure extensions, are required to ensure ASD research does not suffer from a "lost generation" of researchers. LAY SUMMARY: The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative impacts on research around the world. Loss of productivity impedes autism research discoveries. However, researchers in the earliest phases of their career, specifically postdoctoral fellows through individuals in assistant professor (or equivalent) positions, are particularly vulnerable to long-lasting effects of pandemic-related disruptions which may limit their ability to continue as autism researchers. This survey highlights the needs of this group and identifies mechanisms by which these early career researchers may be supported in this time. This is critical to ensure the next generation of ASD researchers and clinician scientists continue on the path to advancing understanding of autism in the decades to come.