Young researchers and clinicians who are building their careers in academic medicine are faced with many challenges\u2014including complexity, time constraints and dwindling sources of funding\u2014when trying to secure financial support for their work and publish their results in peer-reviewed journals.<\/p>\n
Unlike the science they become experts in, there\u2019s no formal training to learn how to write grants and biomedical manuscripts. These skills, essential for success, must be learned through experience\u2014ideally through the guidance of mentors and other seasoned experts in the field.<\/p>\n
That was the idea behind Writing for Biomedical Publication<\/em>, a comprehensive seminar that was offered recently to more than 140 members of Dartmouth\u2019s scientific community by presenting sponsors Dartmouth SYNERGY<\/a> (The Dartmouth Clinical and Translational Science Institute) and Dartmouth-Hitchcock\u2019s Norris Cotton Cancer Center<\/a> (NCCC).<\/p>\n Held in the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, the seminar\u2019s featured speaker was Christopher Papasian, PhD, a professor and chair of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine.<\/p>\n Dr. Papasian, a member of Grant Writers\u2019 Seminars and Workshops, led participants through an engaging and informative full-day session in the Oopik Auditorium\u2014covering everything from practical tips on composing a manuscript, to choosing the appropriate journal and understanding its review process, to strategies related to revision and resubmission.<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstanding how busy folks are, this turnout is quite impressive\u2014it tells us that there\u2019s a real need for this kind of event,\u201d said Sheila Noone, PhD, executive director of SYNERGY and assistant vice president for Clinical and Translational Research at Dartmouth. \u201cWe did an event with Grant Writers\u2019 Seminars and Workshops on grant writing back in March that was equally well-attended, and plan to offer more seminars in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n SYNERGY is also working with Christopher Dant, PhD, at NCCC to offer shorter, more specific workshops for smaller groups throughout the year. \u201cIt really speaks to the investment that we\u2019re making together to prepare the next generation of clinical and translational investigators,\u201d said Noone.<\/p>\n That investment is greatly appreciated, said Jibran Khokhar, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in Geisel\u2019s Department of Psychiatry and a pharmacologist who is focused on finding more effective treatments for people with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders.<\/p>\n \u201cSYNERGY and the Cancer Center have been great about providing resources that are beneficial and relevant for people who are at all stages of science, and also creating funding opportunities at the local level to help us establish a track record for future success,\u201d said Khokhar.<\/p>\n Anna Adachi-Mejia, PhD, a cancer prevention researcher at Norris Cotton Cancer Center and deputy director of the Health Promotion Research Center at Dartmouth, agreed. \u201cI think SYNERGY, the Cancer Center and affiliated groups are doing a phenomenal job bringing to campus and to faculty, resources that are critical for investigator productivity.\u201d<\/p>\n Though a seasoned veteran of writing grants and publications, she wouldn\u2019t miss these events. \u201cI want to make sure I know what the cutting-edge recommendations are, and because I do mentor people I want to know what they\u2019re hearing,\u201d said Adachi-Mejia. \u201cWe\u2019re always learning and we can always be better.\u201d<\/p>\n Alan Green, MD, principal investigator and director of SYNERGY and the Raymond Sobel Professor of Psychiatry, who opened the seminar, helped put the event in perspective. \u201cThere is a substantial need to train the next generation of clinical and translational researchers, so we can move discoveries more rapidly from the laboratory to the patient bedside and ultimately into the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s success, and the momentum we\u2019re seeing generated through our education, training and career development programs, shows that we are well on our way,\u201d said Green.<\/p>\n