Expanding program evaluation capacity and enhancing training programs through alumni perspectives

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SUMMARY The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Iowa is an established physician- scientist training program that has been continuously funded by NIH since 1977. The mission of the Iowa MSTP is to promote the development of inquisitive, creative and rigorous scientists, whose leadership and discoveries advance the science of medicine and its translation into clinical practice. At Iowa, the MSTP has led innovation in T32 training that includes building a unique culture that weaves program evaluation into program design. These efforts have benefitted from the recent recruitment of a dedicated faculty program evaluator (Dr. Hoffmann) who has developed methods to assess effectiveness of training, including annual surveys, targeted interviews, and focus groups that assess special topics or cohort experiences within the MSTP. Through this work, leadership within the MSTP has identified key instructional elements needed to advance trainee confidence and satisfaction in their personal growth during their MD-PhD years. This experience had also built a recognition that continued success towards training career physician-scientists depends upon an understanding of the current landscape challenging trainees as they embark on careers as physician-scientists. This includes important influences on career choices between working in industry or academia or leaving the academic enterprise to enter private practice. We know that the academic job market is rapidly changing, and we suspect that careers for physician-scientists are also in flux. This is exemplified by increased interest of our graduates in medical specialties that are not traditionally associated with MD/PhD training backgrounds such as the surgical specialties. Our current program evaluation model leans heavily on insights from current students, staff and faculty, and is well-suited to evaluate the internal workings of the program. We now propose to develop a platform to explore what happens after the MSTP by integrating a different population into our program evaluation strategy – our program alumni. This evaluation platform will be piloted with our MSTP alumni with the expectation that it will expand our institutional evaluation capacity not only for the MSTP but also for other T32-funded training programs on campus.