Forum: Science & Society
Helping early career research scientists ascend the
professional ladder
Laina King
Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, Silverthorne, CO, 80498, USA
The Keystone Symposia Early Career Investigator Travel
Award initiative is a unique successful research mentoring program tailored for ‘end of the pipeline’ life and
biomedical scientists from academia and industry. Using
targeted educational, mentoring, and networking activities, the program benefits early career scientists in
solving a specific laboratory-based research question
that is limiting their evolving research and could increase their ability to obtain new grants and improve
their career progression.
Background
In June 2012 the federal Working Group on Diversity in the
Biomedical Research Workforce reported that the state of
ethnic diversity in the nation’s biomedical workforce was
inadequate and made global recommendations to correct the
lack of underrepresented scientists in many areas of basic
life sciences [1]. These recommendations included an emphasis on mentoring and networking in the academic and
industry life science environment. Traditionally, researchoriented conferences in the life sciences promote networking
by providing a forum where scientists with similar interests
can interact and discuss common research problems and
laboratory issues. This formal and informal communication
allows many scientists to move their research to the next
level and develop a support network.
Although there are a small number of scientists from
underrepresented backgrounds in the biomedical workforce, there are even fewer at the upper echelons of research. This is a cause for concern given the changing
demographics of the nation and life science research community and the nation’s scientific workforce capacity
needs, as well as the nation’s desire to retain its preeminence in research on the global stage. Without mentoring,
targeted collaborations with senior scientists, and embedding in research networks, the nation will not have the
mid- and senior-level scientists from underrepresented
backgrounds it needs.
The problems with diversity in the biomedical workforce
have been recognized for some time, but over the past few
decades the overwhelming majority of life science diversity
programs have focused on the training stages of the life
scientist pipeline. These programs include undergraduate
mentoring and research experience activities, promotion of
enrollment and retention of undergraduate and doctoral
students, and scholarships to promote attendance of
Corresponding author: King, L. ([email protected]).
trainees at scientific conferences [2,3]. By contrast, the
Keystone Symposia Diversity in Life Science Programs –
Early Career Investigator Travel Award (ECITA) initiative
was conceived and initiated to address the need for a
diversity program that is focused on the career development, mentoring, and networking needs of life scientists at
the ‘end of the pipeline’, that is, assistant professors or
equivalent-level scientists from industry who are currently
engaged in laboratory research.
ECITA initiative
Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology is
an organization committed to accelerating life science
discovery and connecting the life sciences community to
foster high-level scientific inquiry by providing high-quality, laboratory-based, small-format research meetings. The
Keystone Symposia Diversity in Life Science Program is
heavily focused on the future, actively participates in
collaborative multi-institutional activities, and is oriented
towards documenting programmatic outcomes. It recognizes the imperative for training and advanced mentoring
to realize increased participation within academic research and industry. It understands the need to increase
interaction between academic scientists and those in industry and to educate and train scientists in the opportunities available in both environments. The program
initiatives (Box 1) are ambitious in their attempt to provide
access to high-power mentoring, global scientific research
talent, and cutting-edge life science topics to underrepresented scientists at a deeper, more advanced level.
The Keystone Symposia ECITA initiative is based on the
premise that when a scientist has a specific research problem that is limiting research progression, attendance at a
small, focused life science meeting might help to resolve this
research question that has not been resolved using local
mentoring and support. The ECITA program is a unique
research-centered initiative because it only selects laboratory-based, early career investigators who have a specific
research question that they and the scientific meeting organizer believe can be answered during a specific meeting.
Their research program has been initiated and they now
manage a laboratory with staff, postdoctoral fellows, and
graduate students. It is at this time when new mentoring
tools, career development training programs, and access to
intensive, targeted research meetings and well-respected,
highly capable established researchers is most critical.
On the basis of discussions in the scientific community,
Keystone Symposia developed, applied for, and received a 5year NIH MARC grant that is managed and operationally
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Forum: Science & Society
Box 1. Keystone Symposia Diversity in Life Science
Programs
The over-arching program of initiatives in diversity includes:
Scholarship program for graduate student and postdoctoral
scientists (selection based on independent review of research
abstract submitted by the scientist);
Peer-to-peer mentoring session at Keystone Symposia meetings;
Mentoring of scientists from underrepresented backgrounds by
senior Keystone Symposia staff;
Fellows program (a positioning, mentoring, and shadowing
experience with well-respected global researchers);
Development of a URM life science research scientist database
including demographic information and research interests;
Collaboration with Biogen Idec in the provision of formal
mentoring sessions;
Collaboration with Novartis NIBR in the design and implementation of a one-semester life science seminar course at a minorityserving, 2-year community college;
Collaboration with National Cancer Institute and Novartis in the
development and implementation of a series of Health Disparities
workshops focusing on bench research opportunities;
Keystone Symposia/Harvard University career development survey research project;
Outreach to life science and cellular and molecular biology
departments at academic institutions; and
Early Career Investigator Travel Award program.
implemented by the Director of the Keystone Symposia
Diversity in Life Science Programs. The ECITA program
began in 2011 using federal funds and was expanded with a
grant from Biogen Idec in 2012. The interest of Biogen Idec
in the development of underrepresented scientists is based
on their corporate desire to promote the growth and development of diversity in all areas and levels of the life science
community.
The ECITA initiative hypothesized that attendance and
networking of an early-career researcher at a research
meeting that has presenters who are knowledgeable on
their specific research topic will help the researcher address and resolve their current research question or problem. The educational and mentoring opportunities at this
conference will therefore directly promote their specific
research effort, grant application success, collaboration
efforts, and career development. The principal criteria
for selection for an ECITA are: (i) achievement record in
prior research; (ii) identification by the applicant of an
upcoming Keystone Symposium on the topic of their research; (iii) written documentation of a specific current
research question or laboratory issue that is going to be
addressed during the presentations at the selected meeting; (iv) review of the application by the scientific organizers of the meeting and evaluation of whether the
applicant’s research question or issue could be assisted
or resolved through meeting attendance; and (v) documented interest by the applicant in promotion of diversity in
the life science community. The award covers most of the
costs of registration, travel, and lodging.
A unique caveat of the program is that each ECITA
awardee is asked to make a commitment to mentor a
student or postdoctoral fellow in a research laboratory
or academic setting for a period of 1 year after attendance
at their selected research meeting. Although this request is
not an absolute requirement, 100% of applicants have
made a personal commitment to train the next generation.
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This activity allows awardees who benefit from the Keystone Symposia mentoring activity to directly give back to
the next generation of scientists in training. It is consistent
with the national goal for building scientific workforce
capacity.
Evaluation and feedback
Each ECITA awardee has contact with the Director of the
Diversity in Life Science Programs and an opportunity to
participate in the research meeting Peer to Peer networking activity, and can directly connect with the scientific
meeting organizer and other national and global attendees. Furthermore, each recipient is surveyed after the
meeting to ascertain if knowledge was learned that should
help in developing an answer to their stated laboratorybased research question, if s/he learned of new funding
opportunities for research, and if potential collaborators
were identified for future research activity. In addition,
over the course of the next year, periodic contacts are made
with awardees to ascertain the outcomes of their mentoring activities and career progression. This information is
utilized in strengthening the program for future applicants
and provides additional insight and information on the
needs of early career investigators.
Outcomes and conclusions
The award program is now in its third year, and the
available quantitative data (Table 1) provide evidence of
ECITA initiative success. Specifically, all award recipients
perceive that as a direct result of attending the designated
research meeting they acquired knowledge that could
potentially advance their research, most expanded their
network of research colleagues, and many learned of new
potential research funding opportunities. Furthermore, all
awardees are mentoring an undergraduate science student, graduate life science student, or laboratory research
fellow, so this commitment allows the federal grant funds
to have a positive multiplier effect beyond the direct benefits provided to the postdoctoral academic or industry
awardee. Using independent scientific conference organizers to determine the grant awardees promotes the selection of those who have the best potential to benefit from the
award and vests the organizers with an interest in actively
helping the awardee achieve their educational and research goal during the conference.
Implications for academia, industry, and government
The Keystone Symposia ECITA initiative provides a
unique approach in its focus on granting travel awards
to life scientists who are at the ‘end of the pipeline’, a fragile
early stage of their careers. These research scientists have
been confronted with an obstacle to their research effort
and career growth that has not been resolved through their
local network of professionals. The ECITA program is
designed to help resolve this research or laboratory question and enhance career development by providing access
to an educational and networking experience at a targeted
life science research conference. Early data suggest that
the relatively small time investment in attendance at a
well-selected, topical, research-based life science conference can promote a career that will continue to develop
Forum: Science & Society
Trends in Biochemical Sciences August 2013, Vol. 38, No. 8
Table 1. ECITA awardee metrics 2011–2013
Number
Ethnicity
African American
American Indian/Alaska Native
Hispanic/Latino
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Gender
Female
Male
Age group
31–35 years
36–40 years
41–45 years
Career stage
Academic scientist
Industry research scientist
Advanced research question
Yes
No
Developed collaborations
Yes
No
Learned of funding opportunities
Yes
No
ECITA Awardee number = 18
Percent (%)
10
0
7
1
55
0
39
6
8
10
44
56
8
2
8
44
12
44
17
1
94
6
18
0
100
0
17
1
94
6
8
10
44
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over decades. Attendance at a Keystone Symposia conference provides access to global scientists who can provide
insight into the awardee’s specific research question that is
not usually available to an early career scientist from any
background. It also addresses the need to increase the
number of women scientists from underrepresented backgrounds – a subpopulation of scientists frequently not
delineated during workforce capacity strategy discussions.
This applied educational research program sponsored
by federal grants and industry provides evidence that
diversity enhancement efforts should not end with the
attainment of a doctoral degree or a postdoctoral fellowship, but should be augmented with early professional
career initiatives to reinforce the commitment to diversity
in the life sciences. This program activity supports the NIH
stated position that ‘Workforce diversity and inclusion is
vital to the success of NIH to achieve scientific outcomes
that advance the nation’s health’ [4]. Thus, this program is
supporting a broader growing national workforce to
achieve the goal of global knowledge advancement in the
life sciences [5].
If academic and scientific organizations wish to seriously address the critical issues of scientific workforce
capacity, the development of more programs that allow
scientists from underrepresented backgrounds to readily
access scientific meetings and the opportunities for collaboration, problem solving, and networking is necessary.
This successful model should be reproducible for other
educational organizations, using public or private sector
funds, to substantially further a current research project
or assist in problem-solving around a particular experimental issue.
When successful, this targeted education and networking opportunity can be a career-enhancing milestone in the
development of a successful life scientist and a basis for
further connections and collaborations. This benefits not
only the individual scientist but also society, because the
continued growth and career success of each scientist is a
model for the next generation and an opportunity to solve
another life science question.
References
1 Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce
(2012) Report of the Advisory Committee to the Director Working
Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce. National
Institutes of Health
2 Editorial (2009) Encouraging minority scientists. Nat. Immunol. 10, 927
3 Thompson, N. and Campbell, A. (2013) Addressing the challenges to
diversity in the graduate ranks: good practices yield good outcomes.
CBE Life Sci. Educ. 12, 19–29
4 NIH Office of Communication/NIH Office of the Director (2013) NIH to
recruit Chief Officer for scientific workforce diversity. NIH News 10
January 2013 (http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2013/od-10.htm)
5 Herring, C. (2009) Does diversity pay? Race, gender, and the business
case for diversity. Am. Sociol. Rev. 74, 208–224
0968-0004/$ – see front matter ß 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibs.2013.06.001 Trends in Biochemical Sciences, August 2013,
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