Meyers Lindsay C, Brown Abigail M, Moneta-Koehler Liane, Chalkley Roger
Office for Biomedical Research Education and Training, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2018 Jan 16;13(1):e0190606. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190606. eCollection 2018.
There is a persistent shortage of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty who are involved in basic biomedical research at medical schools. We examined the entire training pathway of potential candidates to identify the points of greatest loss. Using a range of recent national data sources, including the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctorates and Survey of Doctoral Recipients, we analyzed the demographics of the population of interest, specifically those from URM backgrounds with an interest in biomedical sciences. We examined the URM population from high school graduates through undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral training as well as the URM population in basic science tenure track faculty positions at medical schools. We find that URM and non-URM trainees are equally likely to transition into doctoral programs, to receive their doctoral degree, and to secure a postdoctoral position. However, the analysis reveals that the diversions from developing a faculty career are found primarily at two clearly identifiable places, specifically during undergraduate education and in transition from postdoctoral fellowship to tenure track faculty in the basic sciences at medical schools. We suggest focusing additional interventions on these two stages along the educational pathway.
医学院中参与基础生物医学研究的代表性不足的少数族裔（URM）教员一直短缺。我们研究了潜在候选人的整个培训路径，以确定流失最严重的环节。利用一系列最新的国家数据源，包括美国国家科学基金会的《博士学位获得者调查》和《博士受助者调查》，我们分析了相关人群的人口统计学特征，特别是那些来自URM背景且对生物医学科学感兴趣的人。我们研究了从高中毕业生到本科、研究生和博士后培训阶段的URM人群，以及医学院基础科学终身教职岗位上的URM人群。我们发现，URM和非URM受训者进入博士项目、获得博士学位以及获得博士后职位的可能性是相同的。然而，分析表明，在发展教员职业过程中的分流主要出现在两个明显可识别的阶段，具体是在本科教育期间以及从博士后奖学金过渡到医学院基础科学终身教职期间。我们建议在教育路径的这两个阶段集中开展更多干预措施。
