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Workshop on Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in the Life Sciences
Room 100
Keck Center of the National Academies
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

These are unedited audio files and presentation materials provided by the speakers at the workshop "Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in the Life Sciences" and is not an official report of the National Academies. Any opinions and statements are solely those of the individual persons and participants in the workshop, and are not necessarily adopted or endorsed or verified as accurate by the National Academies nor by the Committee on Bridges to Independence.

Audio files require RealPlayer software, available free at http://www.real.com/player. For more information on setup and hardware requirements, see the Real.com Web site.

Slides are available in PDF format, and can be viewed with the free Adobe Reader.

AGENDA

8:30 am    Welcome and Introductions [ Audio; Slides]
Thomas R. Cech (Committee Chair)

9:00 am   Charge from Sponsor

• Elias A. Zerhouni, Director, National Institutes of Health Audio
• Questions and discussion Audio

9:30 am   Data on funding of new investigators

• Overview of data on NIH funding to new investigators
  Norka Ruiz Bravo, Deputy Director for Extramural Research, NIH Audio Slides
  
• Unpacking the data: Factors contributing to the increasing age at first grant
  Paula E. Stephan, Professor of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University Audio Slides
  
• Questions and discussion Audio

10:15 am    Break

10:30 am    Current opportunities for funding new investigators

• Overview of NIH programs and history of R29 FIRST Awards
  Alan I. Leshner, Chief Executive Officer, American Association for the Advancement of Science Audio Slides
  
• NIH study section and review process
  Brent B. Stanfield, Acting Director, Center for Scientific Review, NIH Audio Slides
  
• NSF experience (why does it differ from NIH?)
  Mary E. Clutter, Assistant Director for Biological Sciences, National Science Foundation Audio Slides
  
• Success of career-transition awards
  Martin Ionescu-Pioggia, Senior Program Officer, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Audio Slides
  
• Questions and discussion Audio

11:40 am    A University President's Perspective

• James R. Gavin, III, President, Morehouse School of Medicine Audio
• Questions and discussion Audio

12:20 pm    Introduction to breakouts [ Audio]

12:30 pm    Box lunches available

12:45 pm    Breakout sessions during lunch (please sign-up at registration table)

• 1. In Tom Cech's opening remarks, a proposal for revised R01 grant application and review policies for beginning investigators was put forth. Would these revisions be useful, and what other revisions would you suggest? How would not considering preliminary data for new investigators encourage researchers to seek new areas of investigation or be willing to pursue riskier lines of research?
• 2. What types of awards would enable transitions to independence? What are the benefits and drawbacks of career transition awards (e.g., R29, BWF, NMSS)? Are there different issues for different populations of scientists? For example, are there special concerns regarding the transition to independence for women? For international postdocs? For faculty at medical schools as compared with arts and science faculty? For clinical research as compared with basic research faculty?
• 3. Should certain postdocs or non-tenure-track scientists be allowed to compete for R01 grants? What would be the ramifications of having senior postdocs, staff scientists, and non-tenure-track faculty apply for independent awards for universities? for NIH? Would it encourage new areas of investigation or riskier lines of research?
• 4. How can we better prepare postdocs to be successful independent investigators? What skills and competencies are important for successful transitions to independence? How can training in these skills be offered? What are the responsibilities and opportunities of the various stakeholders (funding agencies, institutions, mentors, senior faculty, junior faculty, postdocs)?
• 5. What data should be gathered with regard to transition for independence to help guide policy decisions? Which already exists and how can other data be collected? Which specific questions or issues need data collected?

1:45 pm    Reporting back on breakout sessions [ Audio]

2:15 pm    Academic panel addressing impact of funding on hiring decisions; startup packages; institutional commitment to unfunded researchers; challenges for new faculty, staff scientists, and postdoctoral fellows. Participants include

• David Hirsh, Executive Vice President for Research, Columbia University Audio
• Robert D. Goldman, Stephen Walter Ranson Professor and Chair, Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University Audio
• William G. Kelly, Assistant Professor of Biology, Emory University Audio
• Peter Espenshade, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Audio Slides
• Questions and discussion Audio

3:20 pm    Break

3:35 pm    Fostering success of new investigators

• Postdoc office career development programs
  Melanie V. Sinche, Director, Office of Postdoctoral Services, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Audio Slides
  
• Junior faculty mentoring programs
  Dorothy F. Bainton, Professor and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of California, San Francisco Audio Slides
  
• BWF/HHMI Lab Management Course
  Peter J. Bruns, Vice President for Grants and Special Programs, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Audio Slides
  
• FASEB Individual Development Plan
  Philip S. Clifford, Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Education and Professor of Anesthesiology and Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin Audio Slides
  
• Questions and discussion Audio

4:30 pm    Summary [ Audio]

5:00 pm    Adjourn for reception in foyer


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