Mandt Bruce H, Blake Nicquet M J, Swartz Talia H
Acad Med. 2025 Jun 2. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000006114.
Biomedical graduate students and postdoctoral researchers contribute to scientific innovation, driving discovery and advancing health solutions. However, their success depends on more than research skills; they require strong mentorship, mental health support, and inclusive training environments. Despite the critical importance of research learners, the current structures at many medical schools prioritize clinical learners, often leaving research learners without adequate institutional support. Unique challenges, including prolonged training, reliance on a single mentor, and dual roles as learners and researchers, are compounded by high stress, ineffective mentorship, and underaddressed mistreatment, particularly for underrepresented groups. This commentary highlights the urgent need for medical schools to address these issues through targeted interventions. Institutions must implement proactive mental health strategies, strengthen culturally aware and effective mentorship, and foster inclusive research environments that promote equity and psychological safety. By prioritizing these efforts, medical schools can support research learners' success, reduce attrition, and cultivate a diverse and innovative biomedical research workforce. This approach is an investment in the future of biomedical research and its long-term sustainability.
生物医学研究生和博士后研究人员推动科学创新，促进发现并推进健康解决方案。然而，他们的成功不仅仅取决于研究技能；他们还需要强有力的指导、心理健康支持以及包容的培训环境。尽管研究学习者至关重要，但许多医学院校目前的架构将临床学习者置于优先地位，常常使研究学习者得不到足够的机构支持。包括长期培训、依赖单一导师以及作为学习者和研究人员的双重角色等独特挑战，因高压力、无效指导以及未得到充分解决的不当对待（尤其是针对代表性不足的群体）而更加复杂。本评论强调医学院校迫切需要通过有针对性的干预措施来解决这些问题。院校必须实施积极主动的心理健康策略，加强具有文化意识且有效的指导，并营造促进公平和心理安全的包容研究环境。通过优先开展这些工作，医学院校能够支持研究学习者取得成功，减少人员流失，并培养一支多元化且富有创新精神的生物医学研究队伍。这种方法是对生物医学研究未来及其长期可持续性的投资。
