Evaluation of the Postdoctoral Training Program in Trauma

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

PROJECT SUMMARY Evaluation of training and mentoring activities is an important aspect of any T32 training program.1-2 This Administrative Supplement to the T32 award 5T32-GM-008792 at the University of Texas Health Science Center will increase evaluation capacity and improve the overall program. Ideally, every trainee that graduates from the T32 training program in trauma and burn research would pursue an academic career with scholarly activity developed from the foundation built during their training. However, no program enjoys 100% return on investment in the careers of early-stage trainees. Over the 18-year history of the current T32, 14 of 22 graduates (63.6%) have entered an academic career in surgery or related fields (an additional 11 are still in training). This request for supplementary funds will define the evaluation framework including outcomes, and increase evaluation capacity to include new elements such as 1) evaluation of mentoring effectiveness; 2) evaluation of the effectiveness of commonly included program elements such as the clinical research certificate program, the postdoctoral research certificate program, and classes in responsible conduct of research; 3) extended evaluation of short-term and long-term trainee outcomes using a comparison group of residents and postdocs who were not fellows in the T32 program. The goal of this evaluation project is to systematically evaluate all aspects of the T32 program using pre-defined and measurable outcomes to be used for program improvement and provide a framework for evaluation over multiple funding periods.