New Directions in Tissue Engineering Optimizing Your Research Agenda in Tissue Engineering Peter C. Johnson, MD Scintellix, LLC
For A Moment Let s forget the technology of tissue engineering and focus on the most valuable positive force we have in the field: YOU
Target To-Be Graduate Students Postdoctoral Fellows Young Faculty Faculty Who Are Retooling Anyone Else Who Is Interested in Their Career Development in TE
Discerning An Optimal Way Forward How to choose when there are so many avenues?
Focusing Your Research Agenda Your Abilities/ Interests The State Of Science Clinical Need Your Research Agenda
The Goal: Hit the Career First(+) Derivative Execution Probability Capability Spectrum Maximizing your contribution throughout your career.
To Establish A Solid Agenda Know Yourself Know the State of the Field Know the External Forces Clinical Need Funding Regulatory Commercial Foster Creativity Stay Focused Believe
Tools to Help You Know Yourself
A Standard Approach - What Are You Driven By? Fundamental Understanding of Biology Applications to Health Care The Process of Commercialization Greed and Power
A More Helpful Approach: Lay Out A Ten Year Mission Example: In ten years, I will be a tenured faculty member at a prestigious institution with a team of researchers and substantial funding. I will be a world authority on the regeneration of X tissue from Y cells.
Initial (General) Assessment
Identify Ten Steps Needed To Achieve the Goal Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Education Develop Strong Clinical Understanding Learn Grantsmanship Publish Obtain Faculty Position Generate Meaningful Research Ideas Define Focus Develop National/International Reputation Educate Proteges Generate Funding
Determine the Dominant Steps Generate Funding Educate Proteges Define Focus Develop Nat l/int l Rep. Grantsmanship Publish Faculty Position Research Ideas Pairwise Comparison For Dominance Clinical Understanding
Determine the Dominant Steps Generate Funding Educate Proteges Define Focus Develop Nat l/int l Rep. Grantsmanship Publish Faculty Position Research Ideas Pairwise Comparison For Dominance Clinical Understanding
Determine the Dominant Steps O= 1 Generate Funding Educate Proteges O= 2 O= 8 Define Focus Develop Nat l/int l Rep. O= 0 O= 4 Grantsmanship Publish O= 1 O= 5 Faculty Position Research Ideas O= 6 O= 8 D&PD Education Pairwise Comparison For Dominance Clinical Understanding O= 8 O=Out (Dominant) arrows
The Ten Steps In Order of Dominance Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Education (8) Develop Strong Clinical Understanding (8) Define Focus (8) Generate Meaningful Research Ideas (6) Obtain Faculty Position (5) Learn Grantsmanship (4) Educate Proteges (2) Publish (1) Generate Funding (1) Develop National/International Reputation (0)
Graduate Student Capabilities Example Self-Graded Capacities Conceiving Researchable Ideas Clinical Understanding Politics 10 5 Experimentation Writing/Editorial Corporate Interface Grants Administration Grantwriting Skills 0 Teaching Managing Presentation Skills Assistant Professor Capabilities Conceiving Researchable Ideas Clinical Understanding Politics 10 5 Experimentation Writing/Editorial Corporate Interface 0 Teaching Grants Administration Grantwriting Skills Managing Presentation Skills Professor and Leader Capabilities Conceiving Researchable Ideas Clinical Understanding Politics 10 5 Experimentation Writing/Editorial Corporate Interface Grants Administration Grantwriting Skills 0 Teaching Managing Presentation Skills Professor Leader
Define Your Goals My General Goals Conceiving Researchable Ideas Clinical Understanding Politics 10 5 Experimentation Writing/Editorial Corporate Interface Grants Administration Grantwriting Skills 0 Teaching Managing Presentation Skills 2008 2012
Knowing the Field
Be Neither Too Early Nor Too Late
Pathway Identify potential research foci Identify personal decision factors Assign scales to decision factors Create a personal interest algorithm Assign matrix of values to research foci Run algorithm
Define Your Personal Decision Factors* Gut interest Background readiness Clinical problem Funding Competition Commercial Regulatory State of Science *Have colleagues and mentors coach you to identify your unique set
Consider Two Types of People Traditional Planner (Iceman) Maverick
Traditional Planner O= 0 Gut interest O= 3 State of Science Background O= 1 O= 2 Commercial Regulatory O= 6 O= 4 Competition Clinical O= 7 Pairwise Comparison For Dominance Funding O= 5
Maverick O=6 Gut interest O=1 State of Science Background O=1 O=1 Commercial Regulatory O=5 O=3 Competition Clinical O=5 Pairwise Comparison For Dominance Funding O=4
People Differ Greatly In Their Decision Emphases The Importance of Knowing Oneself 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Gut interest Background Readiness Regulatory Clinical problem Funding Competition Commercial State of Science Weight Traditional Planner "Maverick"
Weights Assigned to Decision Categories Via Pairwise Comparison for Dominance The Importance of Knowing Oneself 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Gut interest Background Readiness Regulatory Clinical problem Funding Competition Commercial State of Science Weight Traditional Planner "Maverick"
Develop Scales For Decision Criteria - Examples - Gut Interest 0=None 1=Mild 2=Significant 3=Intense Competition 0=None 1=Low 2=Medium 3=High
Personal Interest Algorithm Weights from Pairwise Comparison PIA= w g (Gut Interest) + w b (Background) + w r (Regulatory) + w cl (Clinical) + w f (Funding) w co (Competition) + w com (Commercial) + w ss (State of Science) Assigned Decision Scale Values
Personal Interest Algorithm Output Follow on analyses define specific tissue and disease foci for research. Maverick is more likely to pursue risky cell science. Traditional planner is likely to pursue the more predictable medical device side of tissue engineering.
Knowing External Forces Funding Climate Marketplace Demand (Clinical Need) Regulatory Climate Commercial Financing of Technology Development
NUMBER OF RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS BY INSTITUTES AND CENTERS 4,500 NCI NHLBI NIGMS NIAID NIDDK NINDS NIMH NICHD NIA NIDA NEI NIAMS NIAAA NIDCD NIEHS NIDCR NINR NCRR FIC NHGRI NIBIB NCCAM NLM NCMHD 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 2007 4,500 4,000 3,500 NCI NHLBI NIGMS NIAID NIDDK NINDS NIMH NICHD NIA NIDA NEI NIH Ins'tutes and Centers NIAMS NIAAA NIDCD NIEHS NIDCR NINR NCRR FIC NHGRI NIBIB NCCAM NLM NCMHD 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 Number of Awards Fiscal Year
Filtering Fundability Review the magnitude and growth/decline of funding in your selected research sector http://www.nih.gov/news/fundingresearchareas.htm
Know Clinical Need The subtleties of clinical practice are where the opportunities lie. To access these, the nuances of clinician preference must be known and they can only be learned by living in country with clinicians.
Creating: Idea Stemness..A Prerequisite
Believing Once you have completed your assessment of focus, persevere.
X - Factor If you want to have impact, you have to take chances. Even Ted Williams only hit 0.406
The Breakaway and the Peloton
Perseverance Samuel Pierpont Langley October 7, 1903 (The Wright Brothers flew On December 17, 1903) http://www.wam.umd.edu/~stwright/wrbr/inventors/photos/langley_ad_l1.jpeg
Staying Focused The Fiberoptic and the Dog
The Fiberoptic All infused energies are made more efficient through continuous decision making that is consonant with your research mission.
The Dog Per Robert Rohner, MD
Summary Choose what is worthy that resonates with you Appreciate the momentum of science Plan your development to be on science time Focus on clinical relevance Budget for your future stimulation Maintain the appropriate pace of self-education Frequently revisit assessment tools Map your progress Enjoy your impact
Two Destroyers of Research Agendas Society loses interest in your research agenda (funding ends) YOU lose interest in your research agenda (failure of self knowledge)
The Key to Enthusiasm and Contribution Is To Know Your Bar Code
Choose Your Agenda Carefully It will take you to the des0na0on you declare.
Well Begun Is Half Done - Aristotle
Thank You Contact Information Peter C. Johnson, MD President and CEO Scintellix, LLC 919 844 0343 pjohnson@scintellix.com www.scintellix.com