Priority 9: Promoting Training and a Robust Workforce

Image

The scientific workforce requires diverse talent engaged in developing innovative solutions to complex scientific and health challenges. Pursuant to this need, attracting and maintaining a robust scientific workforce is critical to advancing understanding of bone, joint, muscle, rheumatic, systemic autoimmune, and skin diseases as well as orthopaedics. 

The institute is committed to strengthening support for early and mid-career investigators to ensure a robust mentorship structure and a continuous pathway for researchers dedicated to the diseases and disorders within the NIAMS mission. 

Image

To promote the training and career development aspect of its mission, the institute participates in many NIH-wide programs to encourage and foster the development of early stage and mid-career investigators as they pursue research projects on arthritis, rheumatic diseases, musculoskeletal conditions, and skin diseases. NIAMS has a long-storied history with training, promoted by the longtime advocate Dr. Stephen I. Katz, who served as NIAMS Director from August 1995 until his death in December 2018 and whose career was profoundly dedicated to mentoring and training the next cadre of scientists. 

Named in his honor and continuing his and the NIAMS mission, the Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Grant Program provides a unique opportunity for early stage investigators to take their research in a completely new direction, thereby stimulating innovation and encouraging new approaches to solving problems. NIAMS encourages investigators to design training experiences that include team science and multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary projects, as appropriate, and to incorporate additional areas of expertise, such as data science, biomedical engineering, clinical trial design, and patient engagement, to ensure the effective translation of scientific discoveries into health benefits.

Examples of efforts under this topic include the following.

Strategy 9.1: Ensuring a Continuous Pathway for Investigators Dedicated to Diseases of Interest to NIAMS

• Encouraging and supporting scientists at all career levels to pursue research in NIAMS mission areas.
• Encouraging clinician scientists to avail themselves of NIH opportunities such as mentored career development awards for clinical or patient-oriented research or the Loan Repayment Program.
• Building a robust mentorship and collaboration structure to attract and support scientists from other fields who are interested in applying their skills to NIAMS mission areas.

Strategy 9.2: Teaching Skills Necessary for Success

• Ensuring comprehensive training of scientists at all career levels in topics of rigor and reproducibility such as rigorous experimental design, methodology, authentication, consideration of biological variables including the importance of sex as a biological variable, as well as the responsible and ethical conduct of research.
• Expanding workforce training to provide familiarity with skillsets such as statistics, data analysis, and bioinformatics.
• Promoting training in professional skills such as management, leadership, collaboration, and working within teams comprised of people from diverse scientific fields.
• Fostering effective mentorship practices for trainees across different career stages.
• Encouraging scientists committed to NIAMS mission areas who are interested in pursuing careers in academia, industry, government, as well as many other fields.