Clinicians Heavily Involved in Research: Clinician-Scientist, Clinician-Investigators, and Similar Tracks

Faculty members who are heavily engaged in research face several challenges in developing their careers and preparing for academic promotion. It is important to consider all available research-oriented track options and investigate the conditions and requirements for each. Tenure-eligible tracks require achievements in several academic domains within a specified time period. Nontenure tracks have time-limited contracts and may be contingent on availability of funding. Faculty time allocations must be clarified and ensured, especially protected research time. Startup packages and arrangement for ongoing financial support and resources should be negotiated during recruitment. Faculty should have the support of a research community as well as several mentors and advisors in the institution and through national organizations. Multiple resources are available for developing clinician-researchers through federal agencies, national organizations, and foundations. Academic development plans for research faculty require regular review and updates. National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding awards are traditional milestones for developing researchers (K awards) and becoming established (R awards) but are increasingly difficult to obtain. For promotion, faculty should aim for principal investigator status on grants and contracts, first authorship on papers in prestigious journals, and lead presenter position at important conferences. Traditional measures of research quality have been criticized as unsatisfactory for promotion assessments, especially regarding team science and collaborative activities.