Section of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
J Vasc Surg. 2022 Feb;75(2):398-406.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2021.10.036. Epub 2021 Nov 3.
Vascular surgeon-scientists shape the future of our specialty through rigorous scientific investigation and innovation in clinical care and by training the next generation of surgeon-scientists. The Society for Vascular Surgery Foundation (SVSF) supports the development of surgeon-scientists through the Mentored Research Career Development Award (SVSF-CDA) program, providing supplemental funds to recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) K08/K23 grants. We evaluated the ongoing success of this mission.
The curriculum vitae of the 41 recipients of the SVSF supplemental funding from 1999 to 2021 were collected and reviewed to evaluate the academic achievements, define the programmatic accomplishments and return on investment, and identify areas for strategic improvement.
For nearly 22 years, the SVSF has awarded supplemental funds for 31 K08 and 10 K23 grants to SVS members from 32 institutions. Of the 41 awardees, 34 have completed their K-funding and 7 are still being supported. Eleven awardees (27%) were women, including six of the current awardees (75%). However, only slight ethnic/racial diversity was found in the program. The awardees had obtained K-funding ∼4 years after becoming faculty. Eleven awardees (27%) were supported by Howard Hughes, NIH F32, or NIH T32 grants during training. To date, the SVSF has committed $12 million to the SVSF-CDA program. Among the 34 who have completed their K-funding, 21 (62%) successfully obtained NIH R01, Veterans Affairs, or Department of Defense funding. The awardees have secured >$114 million in federal funding, representing a 9.5-fold financial return on investment for the SVSF. In addition to research endeavors, 11 awardees (27%) hold endowed professorships and 19 (46%) have secured tenure at their institution. Many of the awardees hold or have held leadership positions, including 18 division chiefs (44%), 11 program directors (27%), 5 chairs of departments of surgery (12%), and 1 dean (2%). Eleven (27%) have served as president of a regional or national society, and 24 (59%) participate in NIH study sections. Of the 34 who have completed their K-funding, 15 (44%) have continued to maintain active independent research funding.
The SVSF-CDA program is highly effective in the development of vascular surgeon-scientists who contribute to the leadership and growth of academic vascular surgery with a 9.5-fold return on investment. The number of female awardees has increased in recent years but ethnic/racial diversity has remained poor. Although 62% successfully transitioned to federal funding, fewer than one half have remained funded over time. Retention in research and increasing diversity for the awardees are major concerns and important areas of strategic focus for the SVSF.
血管外科学家通过严格的科学研究和临床护理创新以及培养下一代外科学家来塑造我们专业的未来。血管外科学会基金会（SVSF）通过指导研究职业发展奖（SVSF-CDA）计划支持外科学家的发展，为美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）K08/K23 拨款的接受者提供补充资金。我们评估了这一使命的持续成功。
从 1999 年到 2021 年，共收集了 41 名接受 SVSF 补充资金的受助者的简历，并进行了审查，以评估他们的学术成就、确定项目成果和投资回报率，并确定战略改进领域。
近 22 年来，SVSF 已向来自 32 个机构的 31 名 K08 和 10 名 K23 会员授予了补充资金。在 41 名获奖者中，34 名已完成 K 资金资助，7 名仍在接受资助。11 名获奖者（27%）为女性，其中包括现任获奖者中的 6 名（75%）。然而，该计划中只发现了轻微的种族多样性。获奖者在成为教职员工大约 4 年后获得了 K 资金资助。11 名获奖者（27%）在培训期间获得了霍华德休斯、NIH F32 或 NIH T32 拨款的支持。迄今为止，SVSF 已向 SVSF-CDA 计划承诺 1200 万美元。在完成 K 资金资助的 34 名获奖者中，21 名（62%）成功获得了 NIH R01、退伍军人事务部或国防部的资金。获奖者已获得超过 1.14 亿美元的联邦资金，为 SVSF 带来了 9.5 倍的投资回报。除了研究工作外，11 名获奖者（27%）拥有捐赠教授职位，19 名（46%）在所在机构获得终身职位。许多获奖者担任或曾担任领导职务，包括 18 名部门主任（44%）、11 名项目主任（27%）、5 名外科系主任（12%）和 1 名院长（2%）。11 名（27%）曾担任过地区或国家学会的主席，24 名（59%）参与了 NIH 研究组。在完成 K 资金资助的 34 名获奖者中，15 名（44%）继续保持积极的独立研究资金。
SVSF-CDA 计划在培养血管外科学家方面非常有效，这些外科学家通过 9.5 倍的投资回报率为学术血管外科学的领导和发展做出了贡献。近年来，女性获奖者的数量有所增加，但种族多样性仍然很差。尽管 62%的人成功过渡到联邦资金，但随着时间的推移，不到一半的人仍能获得资金。为获奖者保留研究和增加多样性是 SVSF 的主要关注点，也是战略重点的重要领域。
