By Tim Wassenaar, MD, MS

2008-03-01

Dr. Wassenaar is from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

As I traveled back home after the ASH annual meeting, I was struck with the feeling that I was never going to know all I need to know about hematology. After attending sessions such as "Thrombosis in the Elderly" or the Plenary Scientific Session and hearing about suppressor mutations in hepcidin gene expression, as well as walking through endless rows of posters showing exciting new work in every aspect of hematology, I started to wonder how I would successfully find my way into this evolving field. A number of questions arose in my mind. As I finish my fellowship training this summer, how would I transition from being a dependent student to an independent researcher? With the explosion of molecular medicine, how would I find an area of research focus? Given the current economic climate, who was going to help support my research if I came up with an interesting research question?

After taking something for the pounding in my head, I began thinking back through the trainee sessions I had just attended and realized that the speakers had given me a roadmap to help me be successful, and they answered many of my questions. Education sessions like "How to Navigate Finding a Job" gave me practical advice on what I should be looking for in an institution when I go searching for my first academic job. Learning how to balance patient-oriented time and protected-research time as well as the details of a research start-up package gave me new insight into what I should be asking for to help me start my career. In addition, the session on "Giving an Effective Presentation" gave me hints that will enable me to fine tune my presentation skills and make my job search more successful, as giving a presentation is typically part of the interviewing process.  The session on "Finding a Good Mentor" helped me to realize the importance of finding someone early in my career who can help me find my research focus, get me connected with the experts in the field, and keep me on track when clinical and everyday life distractions threaten to throw me off course.

By now the flight attendant had given me a caffeinated soda and my head was starting to feel a little better. As I was starting to think more clearly, I recalled that the Trainee Day workshop that I attended at the beginning of the meeting provided an even more in-depth look at these issues. The faculty at Trainee Day educated us about the types of research grants offered through the NIH, such as the K08, K23, and R01. They also talked about the importance of pursuing other funding sources such as foundation or organizational grants (i.e., ASH Scholar Awards or the new ASH Research Training Award for Fellows). We broke into small groups based on our focus area and the faculty gave us practical advice on the fundamentals of writing a research grant. The day concluded with a Mock Study Section review of K08 and K23 grants that were submitted for review to the NIH and had a panel of faculty members who discussed the review process and the good and bad aspects of both grants. This in-depth exposure to funding mechanisms and grant writing was complemented by the new Research Development Forum that was held during the meeting, where the speakers discussed the complexities of intellectual property and the ethical considerations of participating in pharmaceutical-sponsored research. There really was a wealth of career guidance and information that I had gathered during the meeting; it was just taking me some time to process it all.

Suddenly, my head was feeling clear and I was optimistic about my looming transition from a trainee to a junior faculty member this coming summer. The Career-Development Lunch Session allowed me the opportunity to interact one-on-one with faculty members to get answers to career and research questions, network with peers, and even pick up some business cards for job interviews. With so much ahead of me, the sessions I attended at the annual meeting have given me a place to start. This realization has left me with one final question. What type of sessions will be developed for trainees at next year's annual meeting?

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