Yale is one of 10 medical schools to receive a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to establish a Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists. Each of the schools will receive $540,000 over five years to provide support for early-career physician scientists who have caregiver responsibilities.
Studies show that up to 44 percent of young physicians with full-time faculty appointments at academic medical schools leave their posts within 10 years. Furthermore, women – who often shoulder the bulk of caregiving responsibilities – make up only 19 percent of faculty at the full professor level. One contributing factor is that outside responsibilities of childcare, eldercare, or family illness may preclude their career growth. Though any faculty member may seek support under the program, the expectation is that most applicants will be women.
“My top priority is to train the next generation of clinical scientists and maximize their success,” said Robert Sherwin, MD, principal investigator and director of YCCI. “This award will help young investigators stay on track short-term in cases where their personal responsibilities are overwhelming, so that their long-term prospects remain on track.”
Some medical schools have implemented programs that provide financial support and resources to researchers who have heavy workloads and demands at home, and these efforts have shown a return on investment in the form of retention of the scientists, promotion within academia, and attainment of new grants. The Doris Duke grant will provide awardees with the extra personnel, services and/or supplies they may need to continue their projects while managing outside caregiving responsibilities.
At Yale, YCCI will choose fellows conducting research involving human subjects who will receive $25,000 to $50,000 in support for one year. YCCI will also match fellows to mentors and provide research support in such areas as data management and grant writing. The goal is to relieve faculty from some of the pressure to seek grants in the short-term, while also providing them with resources that will help them achieve discoveries that draw significant support in the long-term.
For more information, please contact Nicholas Licht, program administrator, at nicholas.licht@yale.edu.