PGY-4 general surgery resident Ruth Ackah, MD, PhD, came into her residency with little experience in basic science and translational research. All that changed after going through the Department of Surgery’s Research Training Program (RTP) – an immersive curriculum that’s shaping tomorrow’s surgeon-scientists and leaders in academic medicine.
“The Research Training Program provides us dedicated time to develop our research repertoire without the stressors of day-to-day clinical responsibilities,” Dr. Ackah says. “We get to focus entirely on developing new skillsets and formally training in research methodology. We also have the opportunity to pursue an advanced degree.”
Jonathan Wisler, MD, MS, associate professor of Surgery and co-director of the RTP – and a graduate of the program – believes those pursuing academic medicine must have this kind of in-depth research experience before they start their careers.
“Ohio State’s general surgery residency is one of the few residencies in the country that has the capacity to train these individuals using personalized research education, mentorship and career development,” Dr. Wisler says. “From scientific-method training to communication and grant writing and data analysis to research design and ethics, our trainees learn the skills necessary to ask and answer important questions to push forward the science of surgery.”
Both Dr. Ackah and Dr. Wisler emphasize the roles that mentorship and collaboration take in the program – they’re the cornerstones of the RTP.
“One of the early lessons we learn in the lab is that science is a team sport,” Dr. Ackah says. “It’s imperative to build relationships with fellow collaborators and experts. You should lean on one another to get a more well-rounded training experience.”
Dr. Wisler says, “Mentorship is the anchor of our program. We’ve been fortunate to have many good mentors in the Department of Surgery and in other departments, as well. This interdisciplinary collaboration is the basis of team science and one that our residents experience early on in their training.”
Every resident is required to dedicate at least one year to the program; many choose to do two or more. During the training program, each resident is given protected time and support to complete three distinct phases:
- Preparation for research – Trainees select their mentor, apply to graduate school, submit fellowship and funding applications and choose courses for advanced degree requirements.
- Research training – Residents conduct mentored research, participate in research-in-progress presentations, attend quarterly meetings, submit and present abstracts at national meetings, network with members of the research and professional community, receive feedback, self-assess their progress toward individualized training goals and continue to participate in core departmental activities.
- Extended development – Trainees can join departmental or institutional committees, take on leadership roles, continue publishing and presenting research, apply for subspecialty fellowships and mentor new surgery residents.
Through those three phases and her entire experience in the program, Dr. Ackah has gained invaluable hands-on experience.
“One of the best parts of the Research Training Program for me was getting practical experience with stem cell technology,” she says. “I learned how to work with special stem cells and improve methods to turn them into specific types of cells. These advancements are crucial for the future of tissue engineering and creating new tissue grafts for medical use.”
“I’ve always wanted to understand why things happen the way they do,” Dr. Wisler says. “What I love about our program is that it trains our residents to do just that using real-world applications.”
The real-world experience gained through the Research Training Program is further underscored by the remarkable scholarly output of our trainees. Since the inception of the program in 2002, our trainees have published more than 1,300 scientific articles, with more than 500 being first-author publications. On top of that, they’ve given more than 900 presentations at regional, national and international regional conferences, showcasing their research and contributing to the global scientific community. Our trainees have received 126 financial awards, including NIH grants.
The ultimate goal of this program is to train the next generation of surgeon-scientists to perform and lead impactful translational, clinical and health services research and surgery education research that will enhance the care of surgical patients.
“We develop intelligent, inquisitive surgeons who go on to be amazing surgeon-scientists and leaders in the academic medical field,” Dr. Wisler says.