A Clinical Psychologist Who Studies Alcohol.

In this article, I describe why I believe the study of alcohol use and its consequences is a rich and rewarding area of scholarly activity that touches on multiple disciplines in the life sciences, the behavioral sciences, and the humanities. I then detail the circuitous path I took to become an alcohol researcher and the various challenges I encountered when starting up my research program at the University of Missouri. A major theme of my journey has been my good fortune encountering generous, brilliant scholars who took an interest in me and my career and who helped guide and assist me over the course of my career. I also highlight selected, other professional activities I've been involved in, focusing on editorial work, quality assurance, and governance of professional societies. While the focus is on my training and work as a psychologist, the overarching theme is the interpersonal context that nurtures careers.

Evaluating training needs in clinical psychology doctoral programs.

OBJECTIVE: Advances in clinical psychology must be accompanied by advances in training. This study assessed training content, quality, and needs during clinical psychology doctoral programs among current or past doctoral students. METHODS: Current or past clinical psychology doctoral students (N = 343) completed an anonymous survey assessing training experiences and needs. A descriptive-focused exploratory factor analysis (EFA) also examined whether common subgroups of academic interests emerged. RESULTS: Most participants reported that they sought training beyond required coursework, primarily in clinical training, cultural competency, and professional development, and reported having taken one or more unhelpful course, including discipline-specific knowledge requirements. Descriptive results from the EFA demonstrated common training areas of interest: diversity topics, biological sciences, clinical practice, and research methods. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates that trainees and early career psychologists are aware of their nuanced and in some cases, unmet training needs. CONCLUSION: This work foregrounds the need to adapt extant training opportunities to support the next generation of clinical psychologists.

The Contribution of Moral Case Deliberation to Teaching RCR to PhD Students.

Teaching responsible conduct of research (RCR) to PhD students is crucial for fostering responsible research practice. In this paper, we show how the use of Moral Case Deliberation-a case reflection method used in the Amsterdam UMC RCR PhD course-is particularity valuable to address three goals of RCR education: (1) making students aware of, and internalize, RCR principles and values, (2) supporting reflection on good conduct in personal daily practice, and (3) developing students' dialogical attitude and skills so that they can deliberate on RCR issues when they arise. What makes this method relevant for RCR education is the focus on values and personal motivations, the structured reflection on real experiences and dilemmas and the cultivation of participants' dialogical skills. During these structured conversations, students reflect on the personal motives that drive them to adhere to the principles of good science, thereby building connections between those principles and their personal values and motives. Moreover, by exploring personal questions and dilemmas related to RCR, they learn how to address these with colleagues and supervisors. The reflection on personal experiences with RCR issues and questions combined with the study of relevant normative frameworks, support students to act responsibly and to pursue RCR in their day-to-day research practice in spite of difficulties and external constraints.

Doctoral training in clinical psychology across 23 years: Continuity and change.

OBJECTIVE: Doctoral training in clinical psychology has undergone substantial changes in recent decades, especially with the increasing heterogeneity of training models and graduate students. To document these changes, we analyzed program, student, and faculty characteristics of American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited clinical psychology programs over a 23-year span. METHOD: We surveyed directors of clinical training about their doctoral programs every 2 years from 1991 to 2013, securing 90%-98% response rates. With minimal exceptions, the survey questions remained constant. RESULTS: Percentages of female and racial/ethnic minority students continued to grow, such that women now comprise about three quarters of trainees and ethnic minorities about one quarter. There has been a decisive shift in faculty theoretical orientation toward cognitive/cognitive-behavioral and away from psychodynamic/psychoanalytic. Internship match rates were relatively high and stable until the early 2010s but have recently rebounded. CONCLUSION: We discuss the limitations of these survey results and their implications for the future of doctoral training in clinical psychology.

Blended learning across universities in a South-North-South collaboration: a case study.

BACKGROUND: Increased health research capacity is needed in low- and middle-income countries to respond to local health challenges. Technology-aided teaching approaches, such as blended learning (BL), can stimulate international education collaborations and connect skilled scientists who can jointly contribute to the efforts to address local shortages of high-level research capacity. The African Regional Capacity Development for Health Systems and Services Research (ARCADE HSSR) was a European Union-funded project implemented from 2011 to 2015. The project consortium partners worked together to expand access to research training and to build the research capacity of post-graduate students. This paper presents a case study of the first course in the project, which focused on a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies and was delivered in 2013 through collaboration by universities in Uganda, Sweden and South Africa. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods case study involving student course evaluations, participant observation, interviews with teaching faculty and student feedback collected through group discussion. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies, and qualitative data using thematic analysis. RESULTS: A traditional face-to-face course was adapted for BL using a mixture of online resources and materials, synchronous online interaction between students and teachers across different countries complemented by face-to-face meetings, and in-class interaction between students and tutors. Synchronous online discussions led by Makerere University were the central learning technique in the course. The learners appreciated the BL design and reported that they were highly motivated and actively engaged throughout the course. The teams implementing the course were small, with individual faculty members and staff members carrying out many extra responsibilities; yet, some necessary competencies for course design were not available. CONCLUSIONS: BL is a feasible approach to simultaneously draw globally available skills into cross-national, high-level skills training in multiple countries. This method can overcome access barriers to research methods courses and can offer engaging formats and personalised learning experiences. BL enables teaching and learning from experts and peers across the globe with minimal disruption to students' daily schedules. Transforming a face-to-face course into a blended course that fulfils its full potential requires concerted effort and dedicated technological and pedagogical support.

Publication activities of German junior researchers in academic medicine: which factors impact impact factors?

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown medical students in Germany to have little interest in research while at the same time there is a lack of physician scientists. This study's aim is to investigate factors influencing publication productivity of physicians during and after finishing their medical doctorate. METHODS: We conducted a PubMed search for physicians having received their doctoral degree at Ludwig-Maxmilians-University Munich Faculty of Medicine between 2011 and 2013 (N = 924) and identified the appropriate impact factor (IF) for each journal the participants had published in. Gender, age, final grade of the doctorate, participation in a structured doctoral study program and joint publication activities between graduate and academic supervisor were defined as factors. For analyses we used nonparametric procedures. RESULTS: Men show significantly more publications than women. Before their doctoral graduation men publish 1.98 (SD ± 3.64) articles on average, women 1.15 (±2.67) (p < 0.0001, d = 0.27). After completion of the doctorate (up to 06/2015), 40 % of men still publish, while only 24.3 % of women (p < 0.0001, φ = 0.17) continue to publish. No differences were found concerning the value of IFs. Similar results were found regarding the variable 'participation in a structured doctoral study program'. Until doctoral graduation, program participants publish 2.82 (±5.41) articles, whereas participants doing their doctorate individually only publish 1.39 (±2.87) articles (p < 0.0001, d = 0.46). These differences persist in publication activities after graduation (45.5 vs. 29.7 %, p = 0.008, φ = 0.09). A structured doctorate seems to have positive influence on IFs (4.33 ± 2.91 vs. 3.37 ± 2.82, p = 0.006, d = 0.34). Further significant results concern the variables 'final grade' and 'age': An early doctoral graduation and an excellent or very good grade for the doctoral thesis positively influence publication productivity. Finally, joint publication activities between the graduate and his/her academic supervisor result in significantly higher IFs (3.64 ± 3.03 vs. 2.84 ± 2.25, p = 0.007, d = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: The study's results support the assumption about women's underrepresentation in science as well as the relevance of structured doctoral study programs for preparing and recruiting young academics in medicine for scientific careers. Promoting women and further development of structured doctoral study programs are highly recommended.

Research Integrity Practices from the Perspective of Early-Career Researchers.

Unavailability of published data and studies focused on young researchers in Europe and research integrity issues reveals that clear understanding and stance on this subject within European area is lacking. Our study provides information on attitudes and experiences of European researchers at early career stages (doctoral and postdoctoral level), based on a limited sample of respondents (n = 27). The study provides both quantitative and qualitative results for the examined issues. The data suggest that awareness and interest of the younger researchers surveyed in research integrity issues is high, however, it is often based on self-initiatives, with many of the respondents not having adequate training or any possibility to obtain it. Our attitude survey conducted within the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers indicates that only 22 % of respondents had an opportunity to obtain relevant training (significantly less than in a study conducted in the U.S.), and that only one third believed that institutions and supervisors regularly paid attention to it. Further, we noted certain differences between disciplines. The study also reveals that many younger researchers felt they faced problems due to the misconduct of their senior colleagues and the existing institutional culture. The results of the study indicate a need for better prevention mechanisms, training and raising awareness activities. Preferably, junior researchers should be given an active role in shaping the integrity culture. It should be noted that the presented results should be considered in the context of the limitations stemming from the small-scale survey. This paper encourages further research activities on research integrity practices to provide stronger evidence on the attitudes and experiences of young researchers in Europe and other parts of the world.

Doctoral training to support sustainable soil geochemistry research in Africa.

Africa's potential for scientific research is not yet being realized, for various reasons including a lack of researchers in many fields and insufficient funding. Strengthened research capacity through doctoral training programmes in higher education institutes (HEIs) in Africa, to include collaboration with national, regional and international research institutions, can facilitate self-reliant and sustainable research to support socio-economic development. In 2012, the Royal Society and the UK's Department for International Development (now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) launched the Africa Capacity Building Initiative (ACBI) Doctoral Training Network which aimed to strengthen research capacity and training across sub-Saharan Africa. The ACBI supported 30 core PhD scholarships, all registered/supervised within African HEIs with advisory support from the UK-based institutes. Our 'Soil geochemistry to inform agriculture and health policies' consortium project, which was part of the ACBI doctoral training programme network, was implemented in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe between 2014 and 2020. The aims of our consortium were to explore linkages between soil geochemistry, agriculture and public health for increased crop productivity, nutrition and safety of food systems and support wider training and research activities in soil science. Highlights from our consortium included: (i) the generation of new scientific evidence on linkages between soils, crops and human nutrition; (ii) securing new projects to translate science into policy and practice; and (iii) maintaining sustainable collaborative learning across the consortium. Our consortium delivered high-quality science outputs and secured new research and doctoral training funding from a variety of sources to ensure the continuation of research and training activities. For example, follow-on Global Challenges Research Funded Translation Award provided a strong evidence base on the prevalence of deficiencies in children under 5 years of age and women of reproductive age in Zimbabwe. This new evidence will contribute towards the design and implementation of a nationally representative micronutrient survey as an integral part of the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys conducted by the Ministry of Health and Child Care. The award also generated new evidence and a road map for creating quality innovative doctorates through a doctoral training landscape activity led by the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education. Although our project and the wider ACBI has contributed to increasing the self-reliance and sustainability of research within the region, many challenges remain and ongoing investment is required.

"What will you do after?": Lessons from Academia and the World Beyond.

Determining post-PhD career options is a challenge for many Psychology PhD graduates. Here I provide a comprehensive overview of the diverse career trajectories available to graduates, drawing from interviews with 53 PhD graduates conducted as part of the two-volume Academia and the World Beyond book series. From these, I conducted a hierarchical qualitative classification to categorise and characterise potential career paths. The findings reveal a spectrum of opportunities, from traditional academic roles to "academic adjacent" and "skill-transfer" careers. This work underscores the versatility of Psychology doctoral training, providing skills that can support a wide array of career possibilities. The results serve as a guide for current and prospective PhD students-and their mentors-emphasising the variety of professional contexts where doctoral training is beneficial.

A survey of the training experiences and needs on Wellcome Trust PhD programmes.

Background: Training for PhD researchers was previously identified by the Wellcome Trust funded Emerging Research Cultures project as an area for further investigation to ensure an inclusive culture which enables PhD students to become well-rounded researchers. Methods: The Taskforce on Training conducted a survey of 35 Wellcome Trust funded PhD students and 10 programme administrators to evaluate the provision of training in eight key areas. This survey examined a number of issues, such as availability and knowledge of training, potential gaps in training, and the perceived usefulness of training. Results: PhD students reported that training was generally useful and viewed as important; with technical training being particularly highly valued. However, the survey identified that students desired additional training in project management and personal development. Surveying programme administrators highlighted the wide variety in training availability for students across different Wellcome Trust programmes currently running in the UK. Conclusion: In response to these findings, several recommendations were suggested. Examples include; promotion of peer mentoring for PhD students, and alternative methods for delivery of wellbeing training. However, this report only explores the views of a small number of Wellcome Trust funded PhD students and would benefit from further research into the experiences of PhD students, programme administrators, and PhD supervisors.

Research-Practice-Collaborations Addressing One Health and Urban Transformation. A Case Study: Commentary on "Research-Practice-Collaborations in International Sustainable Development and Knowledge Production-Reflections from a Political-Economic Perspective".

One Health is an integrative approach at the interface of humans, animals and the environment, which can be implemented as Research-Practice-Collaboration (RPC) for its interdisciplinarity and intersectoral focus on the co-production of knowledge. To exemplify this, the present commentary shows the example of the Forschungskolleg "One Health and Urban Transformation" funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State Government of Nord Rhine Westphalia in Germany. After analysis, the factors identified for a better implementation of RPC for One Health were the ones that allowed for constant communication and the reduction of power asymmetries between practitioners and academics in the co-production of knowledge. In this light, the training of a new generation of scientists at the boundaries of different disciplines that have mediation skills between academia and practice is an important contribution with great implications for societal change that can aid the further development of RPC.

« Une Santé¼ (en anglais: One Health) est un approche intégratif situé à l'interface entre les humains, les animaux, et l'environnement, qui peut être implémenté tel qu'une collaboration entre recherche et pratique (CRP) grâce à son interdisciplinarité et son accent sur la cocréation du savoir. Pour illustrer ce point, cet article prend le Forschungskolleg « Une Santé et Transformation Urbaine¼ (en anglais: One Health and Urban Transformation) financé par le Ministère de la Culture et Sciences du gouvernement du Nord-Rhin Westphalie en Allemagne. D'après nos analyses, les facteurs identifiés comme soutenant une meilleure implémentation du CRP pour le programme One Health sont ceux qui permettent une communication constante et une réduction des asymétries causés par le pouvoir entre les praticiens et les entités académiques dans la cocréation du savoir. Sur ce point, l'éducation d'une nouvelle génération de scientifiques, à l'intersection des différentes disciplines et avec des fortes aptitudes à la médiation entre la pratique et le monde académique, est une contribution important avec des grandes implications pour le changement sociétal, et qui peut en outre soutenir le développement du CRP.

Effective supervision of doctoral students in public and population health in Africa: CARTA supervisors' experiences, challenges and perceived opportunities.

The quality and success of postgraduate education largely rely on effective supervision. Since its inception in 2008, the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) has been at the forefront of providing training to both students and supervisors in the field of public and population health. However, there are few studies on supervisors' perceptions on effective doctoral supervision. We used a mostly descriptive study design to report CARTA-affiliated doctoral supervisors' reflections and perceptions on doctoral supervision, challenges and opportunities. A total of 77 out of 160 CARTA supervisors' workshop participants responded to the evaluation. The respondents were affiliated with 10 institutions across Africa. The respondents remarked that effective supervision is a two-way process, involving both supervisor and supervisee's commitment. Some reported that the requirements for effective supervision included the calibre of the PhD students, structure of the PhD programme, access to research infrastructure and resources, supervision training, multidisciplinary exposure and support. Male supervisors have significantly higher number of self-reported PhD graduates and published articles on Scopus but no difference from the females in h-index. We note both student and systemic challenges that training institutions may pursue to improve doctoral supervision in Africa.

Competency-based assessment in clinical neuropsychology at the post-doctoral level: Stages, milestones, and benchmarks as proposed by an APPCN work group.

Objective: In recent years, there has been considerable progress in developing competencies in Clinical Neuropsychology. The field also needs to work towards consistency in competency-based assessment of the development of each competency to ensure competent, independent practice. The purpose of this manuscript is to a) document the relevant literature, b) describe the process applied by an Association of Post-Doctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) workgroup on Competency-Based Assessment, and c) propose a framework and assessment tool for competency-based assessment at the post-doctoral training level. Methods: The work group conducted a literature review of competency-based assessment in Clinical Neuropsychology and related fields, considered various constructs for assessment, delineated a framework that can be flexible for program-specific goals, and created a tool for assessment. The workgroup then asked for review of the framework and assessment tool by APPCN Board of Directors, the APPCN Executive Committee, and Program Directors from APPCN and non-APPCN programs. Revisions were made following this review. Conclusions: This manuscript and proposed assessment tool invite constructive feedback within the community for ongoing evolution of the process and the tool. The proposed assessment tool is intended to be implemented flexibly within post-doctoral programs to respect their specific training goals while simultaneously providing underlying consistency in the method of assessing a recently proposed set of competencies within Clinical Neuropsychology. Creation of competency-based assessment tools across all training levels within Clinical Neuropsychology that facilitate continuity and hierarchical development is a long-term goal.

Feedback as a balancing act: Qualitative insights from an experienced multi-cultural sample of doctoral supervisors in nursing.

AIM: To better understand the views and experiences of experienced doctoral supervisors in nursing when providing feedback and critique to nursing doctoral students. BACKGROUND: Feedback refers to information from a provider, intended to inform a receiver about the quality of their work in order for them to be able to see where improvements might occur and to signpost issues to be carried into future work. Feedback, particularly on student writing is central to successful doctoral supervision and is time consuming and labour-intensive for supervisors. DESIGN: Qualitative. METHODS: Following ethics approval and informed consent procedures, we gathered 962 min of interview data over a six-week period from 21 participants in four countries. During conversational-style interviews, participants shared their experiences of supervisionand elucidated on their experiences of providing feedback to doctoral students. Data were thematically analysed. FINDINGS: Participants had more than 400 combined doctoral completions. As supervisors, participants aimed to strike a balance between helpful and empowering comments that motivated students to approach their work with renewed vigour and enthusiasm; and those that had the opposite effect of crushing and demoralising the student. 'Feedback as a balancing act' comprised four contributing themes with sub-themes. Findings reveal that feedback on student writing can remain a challenge for the duration of candidature. However, writing is an essential aspect of doctoral studies. It is through supervision that new nursing scholars are tutored and coached into the practices essential to creating disciplinary knowledge through writing. Our sample was drawn from multiple countries and included perspectives from various cultures. Despite the variation in countries and cultures, there was little variation in issues around feedback with all participants striving to provide clear, respectful feedback aimed at developing students and enhancing their skills. CONCLUSIONS: Supervision of doctoral student frequently involves working internationally and what while our sample was drawn from multiple countries and cultural perspectives, there was little variation in issues around provision of feedback to doctoral students. When considering feedback, our findings emphasise the importance of recognising feedback as a crucial educative process and one that is central to the production of a doctoral thesis. We argue that there is a need for nursing to move to developing and articulating meaningful and inclusive pedagogies of writing and doctoral supervision. We recommend universities support the development of such pedagogies and ensure that academic staff engaging in supervision are supported with the appropriate knowledge and skills to be optimally effective.

Doctoral Studies as part of an Innovative Training Network (ITN): Early Stage Researcher (ESR) experiences.

Background: The Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions' (MSCA) Innovative Training Network (ITN) is a doctoral training programme jointly implemented by academic institutions and industries from countries across Europe and beyond. To our knowledge no study has examined the experience of students participating in MSCA-ITNs. This study aims to evaluate and report MSCA-ITN Early Stage Researcher (ESR) experiences. Methods: The Innovative Training Network - Evaluation Questionnaire (ITN-EQ) was developed to assess supervision, training, collaborations and experiences of ESRs and forwarded to two tinnitus-related ITNs and seven ITNs of other disciplines. Results: Key advantages identified included better career prospects, multidisciplinary research opportunities/collaborations, international exposure, personal/professional development, plus generous salaries and research budgets. However, lack of a common EU framework resulted in the experience being largely dependent on the host institution, country and supervisor. Moreover, managing the dual requirements of ITNs and host institutions while completing a three-year PhD seemed challenging for most ESRs. ESR involvement in workshop and training school planning was desirable. More than 80% of ESRs rated the overall ITN experience favourably and 98.3% would recommend the same to prospective PhD students. Conclusions: This report could provide valuable insights in planning and management of future ITNs and could assist prospective students in their decision of joining an ITN for their PhD.

The role of mentoring in research ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa: Some experiences through the CARTA opportunity.

Mentoring is important for improving capacity development in population and public health research in sub-Saharan Africa. A variety of experiences have been documented since Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) admitted the first cohort in 2011. However, the experience of mentoring opportunities in CARTA has not been studied. Our study focused on the perceptions, experiences and challenges of mentoring among CARTA fellows. We adopted a descriptive design based on data collected from the fellows using an online semi-structured questionnaire. Out of 143 fellows in the programme, a total of 52 fellows from seven cohorts completed the questionnaire. Fifty-three percent of the respondents were females, more than half belonged to the health sciences while 35% were in the social sciences. Fellows received mentoring from CARTA graduates and experienced researchers in the CARTA network, but they also engaged in peer-mentoring with one another. Teaching, publishing, conference attendance and grant application were considered particularly important in mentoring, but mentors and mentees highlighted personal and social issues such as networking, work-family life balance, and managing stress and time, as challenges. There is a need for more formalised but flexible mentorship initiative in the CARTA fellowship to facilitate enduring relationships for career development.

Preparing the Next Generation of Diverse Biomedical Researchers: The University of North Texas Health Science Center's Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) Predoctoral Program.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that underrepresented minority students are just as interested as their White counterparts in majoring in science upon entering college.1 However, the numbers of those receiving bachelors' degrees, attending graduate school, and earning doctorates remain lower than their White peers. To close this gap, the National Institutes of General Medical Science's (NIGMS) Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) at University of Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) supports the timely completion of PhD degrees by underrepresented students and their transition into successful biomedical research careers. Throughout UNTHSC's IMSD training program, we have designed interventions anchored by the central hypothesis that PhD attainment requires attentiveness to multiple factors (knowledge, psychosocial, financial and self-efficacy). An assessment of program outcomes demonstrates a progressive increase in trainee retention. Importantly, not-withstanding quantitative measurable outcomes, trainee and mentor evaluations express the value in addressing multiple factors relevant to their success. Since 1996, our cumulative success of underrepresented minority students completing the doctorate increased from 64% (1996) to 84% completion (2018). Herein, we describe the UNTHSC IMSD training approach spanning its performance over two five-year cycles (2004-2008; 2009-2013) and new interventions created from lessons learned that influenced UNTHSC's newly awarded IMSD program (2017-2022).

Underrepresented racial minorities in biomedical informatics doctoral programs: graduation trends and academic placement (2002-2017).

OBJECTIVE: Biomedical informatics attracts few underrepresented racial minorities (URMs) into PhD programs. We examine graduation trends from 2002 to 2017 to determine how URM representation has changed over time. We also examine academic job placements by race and identify individual and institutional characteristics associated with URM graduates being successfully placed in academic jobs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyze a near census of all research doctoral graduates from US-accredited institutions, surveyed at graduation by the National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates. Graduates of biomedical informatics-related programs were identified using self-reported primary and secondary disciplines. Data are analyzed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions. RESULTS: During the study period, 2426 individuals earned doctoral degrees in biomedical informatics-related disciplines. URM students comprised nearly 12% of graduates, and this proportion did not change over time (2002-2017). URMs included Hispanic (5.7%), Black (3.2%), and others, including multi-racial and indigenous American populations (2.8%). Overall, 82.3% of all graduates accepted academic positions at the time of graduation with significantly more Hispanic graduates electing to go into academia (89.2%; P < .001). URM graduates were more likely to be single (OR = 1.38; P < .05), have a dependent (1.95; P < .01), and not receive full tuition remission (OR = 1.37; P = .05) as a student. URM graduates accepting an academic position were less likely to be a graduate of a private institution (OR = 0.70; P < .05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The proportion of URM candidates among biomedical informatics doctoral graduates has not increased over time and remains low. In order to improve URM recruitment and retention within academia, leaders in biomedical informatics should replicate strategies used to improve URM graduation rates in other fields.

Exploring the Future of Graduate Education in Pharmaceutical Fields.

To ensure graduate students remain at the forefront of healthcare, curricula must be aligned with current and emerging innovations likely to influence students' ability to be successful. In this study, a modified Delphi technique was utilized to determine and prioritize the innovations and professional skills needed. For innovations, the top three areas experts identified were (1) personalized medicine, (2) big data, and (3) cell and gene therapy. For professional skills, the top three areas were (1) creative problem solving, (2) communication, and (3) data literacy. These results can be used to inform graduate curriculum development within various pharmaceutical fields.

Modernizing the Methods and Analytics Curricula for Health Science Doctoral Programs.

This perspective provides a rationale for redesigning and a framework for expanding the graduate health science analytics and biomedical doctoral program curricula. It responds to digital revolution pressures, ubiquitous proliferation of big biomedical data, substantial recent advances in scientific technologies, and rapid progress in health analytics. Specifically, the paper presents a set of common prerequisites, a proposal for core computational and data analytic curriculum, and a list of expected outcome competencies for graduates of doctoral health science and biomedical programs. The manuscript emphasizes the necessity for coordinated efforts of all stakeholders, including trainees, educators, academic institutions, funding agencies, and policy makers. Concrete recommendations are presented of how to ensure graduates with terminal health science analytics and biomedical degrees are trained and able to continuously self-learn, effectively communicate across disciplines, and promote adaptation and change to counteract the relentless pace of automation and the law of diminishing returns.