Blazing a trail: Supporting next generation physician scientists moves innovation forward
Throughout time, groundbreaking scientific research has paved the way to medical discovery and advancements, which lead to innovative treatment of diseases. To continue to deepen the understanding of the human body and our ability to heal it, we need to solve the challenges of developing and retaining physician scientists in these profoundly important roles.
The process of taking research results from the laboratory and clinical trials into the clinic to directly benefit patients is a complex, cyclical process. And according to Ginny Bumgardner, MD, PhD, FACS, professor of surgery and associate dean for Physician Scientist Education & Training at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, one that requires measured planning and specific actions to ensure success at every stage of the journey.
“It’s bench to bedside and back again,” Dr. Bumgardner says. “Physician scientists treat patients in the clinic and then apply their passion for discovery and research in labs.”
To accomplish this, physician-scientists need time and support to accomplish both. In the United States, the medical field faces a growing shortage of physician and surgeon scientists. That’s why the Office of Physician Scientist Education & Training (PSET) in The Ohio State University College of Medicine has built a community to advance team science through mentorship, dedicated research time, collaboration, well-defined career advancement tracks and administrative support.
Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, is a an internationally recognized head and neck cancer researcher, surgeon and leader in academic medicine. As dean of the College of Medicine, she strives to help foster a culture where people feel supported and valued and have the opportunity to thrive and excel. This includes ensuring that supportive pathways provide concentrated and personalized approaches so colleagues can translate scientific discoveries into breakthrough health care solutions.
“Our commitment to the investigative process empowers our abilities to transform the health of our communities,” Dr. Bradford says. “When we work together, scientific advances and breakthroughs can happen – and lives will be improved.”
Just how does The Ohio State University accomplish this?
PSET administrative director Casey Henceroth, EdD, MBA, says it is accomplished by growing the spectrum of physician scientist training programs and providing tailored support to ensure our stakeholders have access to the resources they need for success. This includes specialized training and workshops, networking events, opportunities for collaboration, vertical and peer mentorship, grant and funding support and enhanced curricula to address the unique needs of physician scientists.
“We are one of the first in the Big Ten Academic Alliance to build a centralized and integrated infrastructure to support physician scientists at all levels of training,” Henceroth says. “Our student trainees recognize that our model grants them robust and streamlined access to the breadth of physician scientist expertise at Ohio State.”
Henceroth adds that our early career faculty tell us our support has helped them acclimate to their faculty position, increase their research protected time, secure new and higher levels of funding, develop new scientific collaborations and peer networks, and improve work-life balance.
“In a nutshell, it has been transformative both personally and professionally,” Henceroth says.
At the College of Medicine, the physician scientist initiative is designed to address diverse needs at all stages of the training pipeline. PSET houses six programs that span from undergraduate programming to medical school, residency and fellowship, and early career faculty. Our expert team includes program staff, an administrative director, faculty program directors and an associate dean. The faculty represent an array of medical and surgical specialties, including gastroenterology, pulmonary medicine, surgery, hematology, dermatology, and psychiatry. The team also partners with other faculty and offices across the College of Medicine to promote physician scientist visibility and support and administers the college’s annual Research Innovation Career Development Award (RICDA). They’ve also worked with the advancement team to create the Physician Scientist Education & Training Support Fund to support expenditures for activities related to community-building events, professional networking and development, scientific writing, career coaching and consultation and event sponsorship.
A physician-scientist’s career journey
Diverse opportunities for learners to have the intellectual freedom to pursue scientific ideas and interact with other scientists is key to bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and discovery and medical practice. Just as there is more than one kind of physician scientist, there’s more than one way to become one. Henceroth explains that the journey can begin as early as high school or undergraduate education, but many start their training in medical school or residency. Ohio State’s integrated physician scientist training model is a fantastic example of the multiple points of entry one could take in their journey to become a physician scientist.
The PSET program at the beginning of the pathway is the ASPIRE Medical Research Program. Each year it recruits 16 undergraduate students from STEM majors across the university to participate in a summer program that links them with research laboratories and principal investigators across the enterprise.
“The program is an ideal vehicle for experiential learning and exposure to PIs, who can be instrumental in helping to guide the next steps of their academic journey,” Henceroth says. “Rich laboratory and mentorship experiences lead many into biomedical graduate work, medical school or a dual degree MD/PhD program.”
Research education and training conducted while learners complete medical school often lead them to pursue postdoctoral research opportunities in medical residency and fellowship programs. One such program is the NIH-sponsored dual degree MD-PhD Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). Dr. Bumgardner co-directs the MSTP with Rama Mallampalli, MD, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Ohio State College of Medicine. Dr. Mallampalli’s research expertise is in biochemistry, small molecule discovery and drug commercialization. Dr. Bumgardner’s research expertise is in the areas of transplant immunobiology and translational science. They both have extensive experience overseeing large National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded training programs and have an enormous passion for teaching the next generation of physician-scholars.
The MSTP is also supported by three experienced associate directors. Tamar Gur, MD, PhD, associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Neuroscience and Obstetrics and Gynecology, focuses on recruitment and wellness. Kym Gowdy, PhD, associate professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, focuses on dual-degree curriculum integration. Lapo Alinari, MD, PhD, associate professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology, focuses on the Clinical Preceptorship Program and Transition to Residency.
For medical students not in the dual degree program but interested in pursuing a robust research training experience, Ohio State offers the Medical Student Research Program (MDSR). This program connects medical students with basic, clinical and translational research experiences, faculty research mentors, and research funding opportunities. Many students perform research with the aid of scholarships and fellowships designed to support their research interests while pursuing a medical degree. Led by faculty director and associate professor of Dermatology Benjamin Kaffenberger, MD, students in the MDSR program have multiple opportunities to present their research throughout the year.
At the residency and fellowship level (and beyond), two PSET programs serve as points of entry in the physician scientist training pipeline. Two years ago, Dr. Bumgardner worked closely with Robert Baiocchi, MD, PhD, professor of Internal Medicine, to develop and launch the Physician Scientist Development Program (PSDP). This program offers research training to residents and fellows in all departments across The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
“The PSDP has two main tracks – one focusing on residents with minimal research experience and another on residents with advanced research backgrounds who have previously earned an MD/MS/MPH or MD/PhD,” says Dr. Baiocchi, who also serves as the faculty program director.
The second program is an academic, degree-granting option, open to residents, fellows, and faculty. The Master of Medical Science Program provides an opportunity for clinically trained individuals to develop advanced biomedical research skills. This degree program is led by faculty director and assistant professor of Surgical Oncology, Priya Dedhia, MD, PhD.
For early career physician scientist faculty whose next professional milestone is to transition to research independence, Henceroth states that new faculty programs developed as a result of Ohio State’s physician scientist initiative are what keeps Ohio State ahead of the curve.
“There has been so much positive feedback about the Physician Scientist Scholar’s Program (PSSP) and RICDA programs. This type of support for early career faculty isn’t widely available at other institutions. We’re doing our best to set our stakeholders up for success.”
The Research Innovation Career Development Award is a funding mechanism for early career physician/clinician scientists, now in a third annual funding cycle. The PSSP is a cohort based multi-year education, training, and community building program tailored to the unique needs of early career physician scientists to support them in gaining independent funding.
Grants to support medical student, residents and fellow and early-faculty research
Over the past three years, the PSET team has been awarded four training grants that provide a total of $7,829,270 to support research training. In addition, Dr. Bumgardner and Dr. Mallampalli submitted a renewal training grant application for the existing MSTP T32 grant in September for $9.7 million.
While the R38 StARR (Stimulating Access to Research During Residency) grant from the NIH, titled The Ohio State University Research in Residency Physician Scientist Initiative, is the first of its kind at Ohio State, supporting an NIH-funded residency training program of this caliber isn’t.
“This intensive preparation will help residents gain individualized, impactful scientific training and mentorship,” Dr. Bumgardner says. “And prepare them for a tenure track physician-scientist research career.”
The Advanced Research Training in Immunology for Surgical Trainees (ARTIST) T32 training program was recently renewed and is now in its third cycle. Dr. Bumgardner initiated and has been the principal investigator and program director for the ARTIST T32 for the past 10 years. With the renewal application, Dr. Bumgardner recruited Jonathan Wisler, MD, MS, associate professor of Surgery in the Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Burn, to join her in leading this program. Dr. Wisler is a graduate of the Department of Surgery’s Research Training Program (DOS RTP) and is a prior K08 and now R35 funded surgeon-scientist. So, Dr. Wisler has a unique perspective and will contribute greatly to the evolution of the DOS RTP and the ARTIST T32.
He’s looking forward to witnessing what comes from the breadth of expertise and collaboration in the third cycle of this innovative program.
“We were awarded an increase in the number of training positions from four to five per year and we are aiming to recruit trainees from a national pool of surgical learners who will be the future surgeon-scientist leaders in a variety of surgical subspecialties,” Dr. Wisler says.
The work to grow translational science at Ohio State truly supports the bench to bedside and back again circular path. Providing dedicated time to conduct research and secure more funding moves the important research even further. Creating a vibrant physician scientist community within the university illustrates Ohio State’s stature and investment.
“This investment in research and commitment to the investigative process empowers the innovators to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into breakthrough health care solutions,” Dr. Bumgardner says.
