Mentorship and Development Program for Biomedical Trainees

描述(由申请人提供)：在快速发展的生物医学研究领域，国家越来越需要让生物医学实习生为广泛的职业做好准备，这些职业对支持强大和有效的生物医学企业至关重要。拟议的计划将为学员提供早期的职业发展和指导，以及网络经验，使他们能够有效地确定并成功地沿着指导的职业道路前进。第二个目标是让受训者了解和欣赏生物医学研究(和研究相关)劳动力所服务的各种职能，并第一手了解这些实体如何合作促进人类健康。为此，将实施一门创新的新专业发展课程，来自全校的生物医学研究生和博士后研究员将全面了解推进和实施生物医学发现所涉及的许多重要和相互关联的角色，并培养对这些专业间互动至关重要的沟通技能。本课程将包括学术和非学术客座讲师，他们将通过一系列不同的案例研究和沟通练习来指导学生实现这一目标。在本课程中，学员将被指导制定他们自己的个人职业发展计划，以确定他们在这一计划中的位置，并将利用课程资源概述最能使他们实现这些目标的技能和经验。该课程还将包括在当地组织进行一系列可选的“迷你实习”，让学生接触到各种专业环境。除了课程之外，还将提供导师计划，受训者定期与来自学术和非学术合作机构和企业的导师(根据受训人员的职业兴趣进行选择)举行咨询会议，最终形成一年一度的职业发展和网络活动。导师将为学员的个人发展计划提供额外的指导，并帮助确定进一步发展的机制，包括使用VT现有的课程、证书和学位课程，这些课程、证书和学位课程将提供补充经验，如政策、公共卫生、商业、管理或写作。总体而言，该计划将作为实习生职业发展的第一步，提供基本的专业技能，一瞥来自多个职业部门的专业人员的角色，并提供一个制定培训计划的论坛，最终可能包括追求更多时间密集型和专业化的培训活动。该计划旨在广泛吸引生物医学实习生，无论他们最终的职业道路如何，而且可以在一系列培训机构中实施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the rapidly advancing sphere of biomedical research, there is a growing national need to prepare biomedical trainees for the broad range of careers that are critical to supporting a strong and effective biomedical enterprise. The proposed program will provide early professional development and guidance, as well as networking experiences for trainees, such that they may efficiently identify and succeed along directed career paths. A second goal is to endow trainees with an understanding and appreciation for the diverse functions served by the biomedical research (and research-related) workforce, and learn firsthand how these entities cooperate to advance human health. To this end, an innovative new professional development course will be implemented, where biomedical graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from across the university will develop a comprehensive understanding of the many important and interconnected roles involved in advancing and implementing biomedical discoveries, and develop communication skills that are critical for these interprofessional interactions. This course will include academic and non-academic guest lecturers, who will guide students through a diverse set of case studies and communication exercises to achieve this aim. During this course, trainees will be guided through construction of their own individual career development plans to identify where they may fit in this scheme, and will utilize resources from the course to outline the skills and experiences that will best allow them to achieve these goals. The course will also include a series of optional "mini-internships" at local organizations to expose students to a variety of professional environments. Independently of the course, a mentorship program will be offered, where trainees participate in regular advisory meetings with mentors from academic and non-academic partner institutions and businesses (selected based on trainee career interests), and which culminates in an annual career development and networking event. Mentors will provide additional guidance for shaping the trainees' individual development plans, and help identify mechanisms for further growth, including use of existing courses, certificates, and degree programs at VT that would provide complementary experiences, such as in policy, public health, business, management, or writing. Overall, the program will serve as a first-step in trainee career development, offering essential professional skills, glimpses into the roles of professionals from a multiple job sectors, and a forum for carving out a training plan that may ultimately include pursuit of more time intensive and specialized training activities. The program is designed to be both broadly appealing to biomedical trainees, regardless of ultimate career path, and one that could be implemented across a range of training institutions.