Liu Elaine A, Wang Sophia Y, Rao Rajesh C
Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2020 Nov 25;9(12):32. doi: 10.1167/tvst.9.12.32. eCollection 2020 Nov.
To evaluate the success of ophthalmology and optometry clinician-scientists in obtaining a second R01 (renewal or new) and factors associated with this success, including gender, clinical specialty, degree, institution, and bench versus non-bench research.
First-time National Eye Institute (NEI) R01 awardee data from 1985 to 2014 ( = 234) were analyzed to calculate second R01 success rates. Only R01 awards to ophthalmology or optometry clinician-scientists were included. Demographic data were obtained from clinicians with first-time NEI R01 funding spanning from 1962 to 2019 ( = 386). We obtained information regarding time span of the first R01, year of second R01, institution, and project title on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool, Expenditures and Results (RePORTER) database, and additional measures of gender, clinical specialty, and degree by performing Internet searches.
Overall, from 1985 to 2014, 62.8% of ophthalmology or optometry clinician-scientists were awarded a second R01; at 5 years after receipt of the first R01 (the typical length of an R01), only 3.9% received their second R01. None of the factors examined (temporal cohort, gender, clinical specialty, degree, institution, or bench vs. non-bench research) was significantly associated with successful attainment of a second R01.
We found an overall success rate of 62.8% for receiving a second R01, but 5 years after the first R01 an attainment rate for a second R01 of only ∼4%.
Our study provides insight on significant leaks in the clinician-scientist pipeline and raises questions of how stakeholders should support this important group of individuals at the intersection of clinical medicine and biomedical research.
评估眼科和验光临床科学家获得第二次R01（续签或新申请）的成功率以及与该成功率相关的因素，包括性别、临床专业、学位、机构以及实验台研究与非实验台研究。
分析1985年至2014年首次获得美国国立眼科研究所（NEI）R01资助者的数据（n = 234），以计算第二次获得R01的成功率。仅纳入授予眼科或验光临床科学家的R01资助。人口统计学数据来自1962年至2019年首次获得NEI R01资助的临床医生（n = 386）。我们通过在美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）研究项目在线报告工具“支出与结果”（RePORTER）数据库中查询，获取了关于首个R01的时间跨度、第二个R01的年份、机构和项目标题等信息，并通过互联网搜索获取了性别、临床专业和学位的其他衡量指标。
总体而言，1985年至2014年，62.8%的眼科或验光临床科学家获得了第二次R01资助；在获得首个R01后的5年（R01的典型时长），只有3.9%的人获得了第二次R01资助。所考察的因素（时间队列、性别、临床专业、学位、机构或实验台研究与非实验台研究）均与成功获得第二次R01资助无显著关联。
我们发现获得第二次R01资助的总体成功率为62.8%，但在首个R01资助后的5年，第二次R01资助的获得率仅约为4%。
我们的研究揭示了临床科学家培养流程中的重大漏洞，并引发了关于利益相关者应如何支持这一处于临床医学与生物医学研究交叉领域的重要群体的问题。
