Mavis Brian, Katz Michael
Office of Medical Education Research and Development, College of Human Medicine, A202 East Fee Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1316, USA.
Acad Med. 2003 Jul;78(7):757-65. doi: 10.1097/00001888-200307000-00020.
Like many groups, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation has a long-term interest in funding new investigators. This study documents the career outcomes related to scientific productivity, research support, and current faculty positions of new investigators funded by the Foundation.
All successful applicants from 1983 to 1987 (n = 244) were compared with unsuccessful applicants from 1986 and 1987 (n = 195). Outcomes over a ten-year period were examined. Online databases were used to measure quantity and quality of scholarship, as well as federal grant awards. Institutional prestige was based on the 1982 and 1995 reports from the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils. A follow-up survey of successful applicants identified current employment and research activities.
Successful and unsuccessful applicants did not differ significantly except that women were underrepresented among successful applicants. Applicants receiving funding were more productive in terms of the quantity and quality of publications as well as federal grant support. A greater proportion of successful applicants came from top-ranked institutions and at follow-up the proportion of successful applicants in top-ranked programs increased. At follow-up, most successful applicants had tenure-track appointments with significant time dedicated to research.
The findings document the Foundation's investment in new investigators to promote scholarly productivity and career development and validate the criteria and process used to select successful applicants. The award provides new investigators with control over resources to facilitate their research programs and enhances the confidence and recognition of recipients.
与许多组织一样，美国疾病控制与预防中心出生缺陷基金会长期以来一直热衷于资助新的研究人员。本研究记录了与该基金会资助的新研究人员的科研生产力、研究支持以及当前教职岗位相关的职业成果。
将1983年至1987年的所有成功申请者（n = 244）与1986年和1987年的未成功申请者（n = 195）进行比较。对十年期间的成果进行了考察。使用在线数据库来衡量学术成果的数量和质量以及联邦资助奖励。机构声望基于联合研究理事会会议委员会1982年和1995年的报告。对成功申请者进行的后续调查确定了他们当前的就业情况和研究活动。
成功申请者和未成功申请者之间没有显著差异，只是成功申请者中女性的比例较低。获得资助的申请者在出版物的数量和质量以及联邦资助支持方面更有成效。更大比例的成功申请者来自排名靠前的机构，在后续调查中，排名靠前项目中的成功申请者比例有所增加。在后续调查中，大多数成功申请者拥有终身教职岗位，并有大量时间用于研究。
研究结果记录了该基金会对新研究人员的投资，以促进学术生产力和职业发展，并验证了用于选择成功申请者的标准和流程。该奖项为新研究人员提供了对资源的掌控，以促进他们的研究项目，并增强了获奖者的信心和认可度。
