How does one prepare for a career in academic medicine? And once hired, how does one move up? Who better to answer such questions for a room full of junior faculty and medical students than a former senior vice president and dean of the UAB School of Medicine? Dr. Robert Rich, currently professor of Medicine, Microbiology, and Medical Education, joined the CCTS on Nov. 16 to share his best tips on Preparation, Negotiation, and Promotion for Researchers in Academic Medicine. Below are a few of the highlights:

• You will not learn how to do clinical research in medical school; the best way to learn it is via a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) or Master’s of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) degree. Also consider spending at least a year as a research intern; it takes time to become a seasoned scientist, same as it does to become a medical doctor. (Editor’s note: May we suggest the Also, which provides a year of mentored translational research experience culminating in an MS or MSPH?)
• The NIH K series, which supports aspiring researchers at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels, is a wonderful program, providing career development support for five years. The success rate on grant applications submitted by former K awardees is around 50% higher than those submitted by researchers who have never had a K.
• You need to have a sense of where you fit in the translational research pathway. Although one can move from the lab to working with patients in a clinical setting, skills and training are highly variable depending on where one is on the translational spectrum. (Editor's note: It takes a team of scientists from across the translational spectrum, each representing unique areas of research expertise, to move discoveries from the bench to the bedside and beyond to the community, where they can have a real impact on health care.)
• Explicitly negotiate at least 50% protected time for the first 3 to 5 years of a position as a lab-based investigator. If a “dry-lab” clinical investigator on the tenure track, you may ask for up to 75% protected time; non-tenures should negotiate at least 25-50% protected time.
• Talk to new assistant professors to find out what it’s like at a particular institution, did they keep their promises about start-up packages, which generally range from $600-1.2 million over three years for a lab-based investigator (the dry lab clinical investigator package range is less, generally $300-700k).
• Understand what kind of institution is best for you—one that is research-intensive or one where teaching and clinical practice predominate.
• Access the collaborative opportunities available at UAB, which is one of the most highly collaborative academic medical research institutions in the country. Working in a silo is not a fun way to do research.
• Regardless of career path chosen, identify a senior faculty mentor who knows the institutional ropes. Understand whether or not promotion and tenure are tied together as this can differ substantially between institutions.
• Seek out leadership opportunities and develop a reputation for dependability—deliver on any assignments you accept.
• Investigate funding and collaborations via institutional programmatic grants, usually under the supervision of a senior colleague—often the best way to get started.
• Submit grant applications to more than one external funding agency. Give yourself plenty of time and take advantage of internal review and critique programs (Editor’s note: Like the panel program of CCTS Research Commons!).

To learn more about negotiation skills, check out this video by Dr. Stephen Yoder at a CCTS TIERS seminar earlier in 2016, available on the CCTS YouTube channel. Bookmark our TIERS page so you don’t miss a single seminar in 2017! Check out other CCTS events for additional opportunities to learn and grow, network and collaborate.