Rebekah L. Layton, Ph.D. - US grants

The overall goal of this proposal is to examine the role of three critical components of graduate training in determining successful outcomes. We hypothesize that important factors which impact career outcomes and job satisfaction include participation in: a) professional development (PD), b) mental health and wellness of trainees, and c) mentor-mentee match. We will also measure and account for the potential explanatory effects of existing individual factors including intersectional identities (underrepresented status in the sciences; e.g., race, gender, LGBTQIA, first generation). Collectively, this evidence-based evaluation will be critical as institutions decide how to focus limited resources to improve the training environment and effectively train the biomedical workforce and future scientific leaders. AIM 1: Determine the impact of PD training on career outcomes. We hypothesize that PD participation increases motivation to efficiently complete training. However, a counter-hypothesis is that participation in PD will distract and demotivate students, leading to fewer publications and longer time to degrees for graduate students. Furthermore, we hypothesize that participation in advanced PD activities (experiential learning) will lead to a higher proportion of placements that match the chosen career field experienced. Trends identified at local and national levels will provide robust data to determine if experiential learning impacts career placement in the field of choice. AIM 2: Measure the impact of PD participation and engagement on trainee mental health. We hypothesize that participating in PD activities will improve mental health during training as evidenced by lower rates of depression and anxiety. Mental health measures will include anxiety, depression, suicidality; and wellness will include global positive affect and satisfaction with life. We will test if increases in career self-efficacy mediates the effect of PD on mental health and well-being. AIM 3: Determine the impact of mentor-mentee match on scientific leadership career outcomes. We aim to define and measure mentor-mentee match by creating a novel survey metric; we hypothesize that a better mentor/mentee match on values, characteristics, and/or traits will lead to greater persistence in graduate training (greater graduation rates, shorter time to degree, higher productivity) and persistence in science careers (greater proportion of trainees who continue on to science-related/research-intensive careers and leadership in the scientific enterprise, broadly defined). RELEVANCE (See instructions): The impact of training environment support for professional development, mental health and well-being, and mentor-mentee match impact not only individual career outcomes but also the development of the biomedical workforce more broadly. We aim to catalyze policy change institutionally, locally and nationally, to drive development of the biomedical workforce.