Neil M Goldenberg1, Benjamin E Steinberg1, James T Rutka1, Robert Chen1, Val Cabral1, Norman D Rosenblum1, Andras Kapus1, Warren L Lee1. 1. Departments of Anesthesia (Goldenberg, Steinberg); Surgery (Rutka, Cabral, Kapus); Medicine (Chen, Lee); Pediatrics (Rosenblum), University of Toronto; Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science (Kapus, Lee), Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael's Hospital; Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine (Lee), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Physicians have traditionally been at the forefront of medical research, bringing clinical questions to the laboratory and returning with ideas for treatment. However, we have anecdotally observed a decline in the popularity of basic science research among trainees. We hypothesized that fewer resident physicians have been pursuing basic science research training over time. METHODS: We examined records from residents in the Surgeon-Scientist and Clinician-Investigator programs at the University of Toronto (1987-2016). Research by residents was categorized independently by 2 raters as basic science, clinical epidemiology or education-related based on the title of the project, the name of the supervisor and Pubmed searches. The study population was divided into quintiles of time, and the proportion pursuing basic science training in each quintile was calculated. RESULTS: Agreement between the raters was 100%; the categorization of the research topic remained unclear in 9 cases. The proportion of trainees pursuing basic science training dropped by 60% from 1987 to 2016 (p = 0.005). INTERPRETATION: Significantly fewer residents in the Surgeon-Scientist and Clinician-Investigator Programs at the University of Toronto are pursuing training in the basic sciences as compared with previous years.
BACKGROUND: Physicians have traditionally been at the forefront of medical research, bringing clinical questions to the laboratory and returning with ideas for treatment. However, we have anecdotally observed a decline in the popularity of basic science research among trainees. We hypothesized that fewer resident physicians have been pursuing basic science research training over time. METHODS: We examined records from residents in the Surgeon-Scientist and Clinician-Investigator programs at the University of Toronto (1987-2016). Research by residents was categorized independently by 2 raters as basic science, clinical epidemiology or education-related based on the title of the project, the name of the supervisor and Pubmed searches. The study population was divided into quintiles of time, and the proportion pursuing basic science training in each quintile was calculated. RESULTS: Agreement between the raters was 100%; the categorization of the research topic remained unclear in 9 cases. The proportion of trainees pursuing basic science training dropped by 60% from 1987 to 2016 (p = 0.005). INTERPRETATION: Significantly fewer residents in the Surgeon-Scientist and Clinician-Investigator Programs at the University of Toronto are pursuing training in the basic sciences as compared with previous years.
Authors: Benjamin E Steinberg; Neil M Goldenberg; Gregory D Fairn; Wolfgang M Kuebler; Arthur S Slutsky; Warren L Lee Journal: FASEB J Date: 2015-10-14 Impact factor: 5.191
Authors: Dirk Schadendorf; David E Fisher; Claus Garbe; Jeffrey E Gershenwald; Jean-Jacques Grob; Allan Halpern; Meenhard Herlyn; Michael A Marchetti; Grant McArthur; Antoni Ribas; Alexander Roesch; Axel Hauschild Journal: Nat Rev Dis Primers Date: 2015-04-23 Impact factor: 52.329
Authors: Michael A Skinnider; Jordan W Squair; David D W Twa; Jennifer X Ji; Alexandra Kuzyk; Xin Wang; Patrick E Steadman; Kirill Zaslavsky; Ayan K Dey; Mark J Eisenberg; Ève-Reine Gagné; Kent T HayGlass; James F Lewis; Peter J Margetts; D Alan Underhill; Norman D Rosenblum; Lynn A Raymond Journal: CMAJ Open Date: 2017-04-25
Authors: Adishesh K Narahari; Eric J Charles; J Hunter Mehaffey; Robert B Hawkins; Sarah A Schubert; Curtis G Tribble; Richard B Schuessler; Ralph J Damiano; Irving L Kron Journal: J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg Date: 2017-12-19 Impact factor: 5.209
Authors: Adishesh K Narahari; J Hunter Mehaffey; Robert B Hawkins; Pranav K Baderdinni; Anirudha S Chandrabhatla; Curtis G Tribble; Irving L Kron; Mark E Roeser; Dustin M Walters; Gorav Ailawadi Journal: Ann Thorac Surg Date: 2018-03-14 Impact factor: 4.330