Bridging the geroscience chasm between bench and bedside.

Geroscience-based therapeutics have the opportunity to transform the field of geriatric medicine, yet few training programs afford scholars with the necessary skills, knowledge, and experiences needed to successfully design and implement geroscience trials. We have developed a 2 year curriculum with two different training tracks for aging science scholars. The training tracks capitalize on the strengths and skillsets of eligible candidates. Both pathways afford scholars the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of aging research and the opportunity to apply this knowledge via a mentored translational research project. The two training pathways capitalize on existing clinical and research training infrastructures and include required and elective coursework, longitudinal clinical experiences, small group discussions, laboratory experience, and mentored translational research. This first of its kind geroscience training program is a potential feasible, scalable solution to the existing training gap. We believe that the Kogod Scholars Program at the Mayo Clinic can serve as a prototype for other academic aging centers.

Mental Well-being InSciEd Out: Health Partnerships with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico.

BACKGROUND: Mental health care is a top clinical concern for modern Puerto Rico, especially given a dramatically changing economic landscape paired with recurrent natural disasters. Youth are particularly at-risk due to long-term impacts of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences on health and development. OBJECTIVES: Here we present a novel clinician-community-educator-scientist partnership to address Puerto Rican youth mental well-being and wellness. We deployed pilot health workshops within the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico to build youth mental health conceptual understanding and competencies in stress recognition and management. The work in progress herein evaluates acceptability and feasibility of our curricular model. METHODS: Dialogue with community stakeholders guided curricular design of workshops for youth ages 6 to 13 and older. Prior to implementation, educators and volunteers attended a 1-day training on educational strategies. Workshop success was evaluated using qualitative approaches (i.e., narrative feedback, educator and volunteer reflections, youth Talking Drawings) to assess youth engagement, youth conceptual health understanding, and educator/volunteer impressions of feasibility and impact. RESULTS: Initial findings indicate high acceptability and feasibility of our curricular model. Youth engagement and enthusiasm were noted in educator feedback and continue to be sustained post-workshop. Preliminary analysis shows accompanying increases in youth conceptual mental health understanding, particularly for 6- to 12-year-olds in recognition of stress and healthy coping mechanisms. Reciprocal gains were observed for volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: Activities have evolved into a formal partnership called Semilla, which features expanded analysis of mental well-being and wellness outcomes. Our collaborative model continues to engage Puerto Rican youth in the science of their well-being.

Clinical and translational science award T32/TL1 training programs: program goals and mentorship practices.

INTRODUCTION: A national survey characterized training and career development for translational researchers through Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) T32/TL1 programs. This report summarizes program goals, trainee characteristics, and mentorship practices. METHODS: A web link to a voluntary survey was emailed to 51 active TL1 program directors and administrators. Descriptive analyses were performed on aggregate data. Qualitative data analysis used open coding of text followed by an axial coding strategy based on the grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Fifty out of 51 (98%) invited CTSA hubs responded. Training program goals were aligned with the CTSA mission. The trainee population consisted of predoctoral students (50%), postdoctoral fellows (30%), and health professional students in short-term (11%) or year-out (9%) research training. Forty percent of TL1 programs support both predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees. Trainees are diverse by academic affiliation, mostly from medicine, engineering, public health, non-health sciences, pharmacy, and nursing. Mentor training is offered by most programs, but mandatory at less than one-third of them. Most mentoring teams consist of two or more mentors. CONCLUSIONS: CTSA TL1 programs are distinct from other NIH-funded training programs in their focus on clinical and translational research, cross-disciplinary approaches, emphasis on team science, and integration of multiple trainee types. Trainees in nearly all TL1 programs were engaged in all phases of translational research (preclinical, clinical, implementation, public health), suggesting that the CTSA TL1 program is meeting the mandate of NCATS to provide training to develop the clinical and translational research workforce.

Rapid Adaptation and Remote Delivery of Undergraduate Research Training during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

When COVID-19 caused worldwide cancellations of summer research immersion programs in 2020, Mayo Clinic rallied to create an alternate virtual experience called Summer Foundations in Research (SFIR). SFIR was designed not only to ensure the continuance of science pathways training for undergraduate scientists but also to support undergraduate mental wellbeing, given the known pandemic stressors. A total of 170 participants took part in the program and were surveyed pre-post for outcomes in biomedical research career knowledge, biomedical research career interest, research skills confidence, and three dimensions of mental wellbeing. Knowledge of and interest in careers involving biomedical research rose significantly following participation in SFIR. The participants' mean research skills confidence also rose between 0.08 and 1.32 points on a 7-point scale across 12 items from the Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory. Success in science pathways support was accompanied by positive shifts in participant mental wellbeing. Measurable decreases in stress (Perceived Stress Scale, p < 0.0001) accompanied gains in resilience (Brief Resilience Scale, p < 0.0001) and life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale, p = 0.0005). Collectively, the data suggest that core objectives of traditional in-person summer research programming can be accomplished virtually and that these programs can simultaneously impact student wellbeing. This theoretical framework is particularly salient during COVID-19, but the increased accessibility of virtual programs such as SFIR can continue to bolster science education pathways long after the pandemic is gone.

Rapid adaptation and remote delivery of undergraduate research training during the COVID 19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 continues to alter daily life around the globe. Education is particularly affected by shifts to distance learning. This change has poignant effects on all aspects of academic life, including the consequence of increased mental stress reported specifically for students. COVID-19 cancellations of many summer fellowships and internships for undergraduates across the country increased students' uncertainty about their educational opportunities and careers. When the pandemic necessitated elimination of on-campus programming at Mayo Clinic, a new program was developed for remote delivery. Summer Foundations in Research (SFIR) was drafted around 4 aims: 1) support the academic trajectory gap in research science created by COVID-19; 2) build sustainable scientific relationships with mentors, peers, and the community; 3) create opportunities for participants to share and address concerns with their own experiences in the pandemic; and 4) provide support for individual wellbeing. SFIR included research training, but also training in communication through generative Dialogue and resilience through Amit Sood's SMART program. 170 participants were followed for outcomes in these spaces. Knowledge of and interest in careers involving biomedical research rose significantly following SFIR. Participants' mean confidence levels in 12 Key areas of research rose between 0.08 to 1.32 points on a 7-point scale. The strongest gains in mean confidence levels were seen in designing a study and collaborating with others. SFIR participants demonstrated gains in perceived happiness, and measured resilience and a reduction in stress. Participants' qualitative responses indicated exceptionally positive mentor relationships and specific benefit of both the SMART program and Dialogue.

Exploring Gender Differences in Student Evaluations of Faculty in a Graduate Clinical Translational Research Program.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. There has long been an underrepresentation of women in medicine and biomedical research; this is often described as a "leaky pipeline," as the more senior the level of rank, the fewer women are appointed. In evaluating a faculty member for promotion, student evaluations of faculty teaching are often considered; therefore, if gender biases are reinforced by student evaluations of teaching, the gender gap in faculty promotion could remain or increase. In this study, we examine student evaluations of faculty teaching in a graduate biomedical research training program, using data gathered during two academic years. While female faculty received higher quantitative ratings of teaching, subtle gender differences in language existed in the student comments, indicating that implicit biases about women may be present in student evaluations of faculty teaching.

Case-Based Learning in Translational Biomedical Research Education: Providing Realistic and Adaptive Skills for Early-Career Scientists.

PROBLEM: Case-based learning is an established means of educating students in law, business, and medicine; however, this methodology is not often applied to educating translational biomedical researchers. The application of case-based learning to translational biomedical research education allows scholars to actively engage with real-world material and apply their newfound knowledge as it is acquired. APPROACH: Through the Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS), three courses were delivered in 2009-2017 which emphasized case-based learning in clinical and translational science, entrepreneurship, and individualized medicine. Quantitative measures collected in student course reviews upon course completion were analyzed. Additionally, products arising from each course were identified, including publications and startups pitched. OUTCOMES: Analyses demonstrate that case-based learning techniques are well suited to graduate biomedical research education. Furthermore, case studies can be employed throughout the entire clinical and translational spectrum, from basic and preclinical work through to clinical and population-based learning. NEXT STEPS: Within CCaTS, next steps include creating case-based courses in regulatory and team science to continue to allow scholars to learn and apply these critical skills to real-world material. The goal is to continue to provide immersive training opportunities in areas of clinical and translational science that cannot be readily learned in a traditional lecture-based class setting.

An Academic Medical Center's Learners' Perceptions of Health Disparities.

INTRODUCTION: Lack of health equity ultimately leads to unequal treatment of diverse patients and contributes to the growing disparities seen in national health. Academic medical centers should consider providing health care providers and biomedical researchers training on how to identify and address health disparities. METHODS: The authors led an introductory health disparities course for graduate students and research and clinical fellows at an academic medical center in the Midwest. We compared pre/postcourse assessments to determine changes in learners' perceptions and knowledge of health disparities using an unpaired analysis to permit inclusion of responses provided only at baseline. RESULTS: Sixty-two learners completed preassessment, with 56 completing the postassessment (90%). In the postcourse assessment, learners reported an increase in knowledge of disparities and had changes in their perceptions of health disparities linked to treatment of different patient groups based on demographic characteristics. There was a statistically significant difference in learners' perceptions of how patients are treated based on gender identity (P=0.02) and sexual orientation (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The results detail how an academic medical center can provide training on health disparities for diverse learners. This study underscores the influence of health disparities from the perspective of learners who conduct biomedical research and patient care. This course serves a model for introductory-level health disparities courses.

A matched cohort examination of publication rates among clinical subspecialty fellows enrolled in a translational science training program.

PURPOSE: This study examined the effectiveness of a formal postdoctoral education program designed to teach skills in clinical and translational science, using scholar publication rates as a measure of research productivity. METHOD: Participants included 70 clinical fellows who were admitted to a master's or certificate training program in clinical and translational science from 1999 to 2015 and 70 matched control peers. The primary outcomes were the number of publications 5 years post-fellowship matriculation and time to publishing 15 peer-reviewed manuscripts post-matriculation. RESULTS: Clinical and translational science program graduates published significantly more peer-reviewed manuscripts at 5 years post-matriculation (median 8 vs 5, p=0.041) and had a faster time to publication of 15 peer-reviewed manuscripts (matched hazard ratio = 2.91, p=0.002). Additionally, program graduates' publications yielded a significantly higher average H-index (11 vs. 7, p=0.013). CONCLUSION: These findings support the effectiveness of formal training programs in clinical and translational science by increasing academic productivity.

Development of a self-directed, online-learning curriculum to increase community-engaged research in clinical and translational science.

BACKGROUND: Medical research strives to improve health; community-engaged research (CEnR) supports translation to the community. METHODS: This article describes the use of andragogical theory to develop asynchronous CEnR training. RESULTS: A total of 43 researchers and community members completed at least one module. The majority (67%-100%) stated that training met their educational needs and noted a desire for more information. CONCLUSION: The curriculum reinforced CEnR principles to enhance medical research.