National Institutes of Health Support for Individual Mentored Career Development Grants in Emergency Medicine

ObjectivesIndividual mentored career (K) awards made by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are an important way for medical researchers to develop their research skills. This study determined the number of individual mentored (K) awards awarded to emergency medicine (EM) faculty over a 6-year period and compared it with six other specialties. MethodsThe NIH database of both submitted and funded K01, K08, and K23 applications was queried and crossed with the departmental affiliation of the principal investigator. The results were further analyzed with data from the Association of American Medical Colleges to determine the relationship between the number of awards and the size of the teaching and research faculty. ResultsFrom 2008 to 2013, there were a total of 45 career development submissions from principal investigators affiliated with departments of EM. Of these, 27 (60%) were successful. This success rate is the third lowest of the seven specialties in this analysis. Emergency physicians submit relatively few grants compared to the size of their faculty, and the funding rate, $1,959 per EM resident, was the second lowest of the six specialties examined. ConclusionsAlthough success rates are reasonable, EM investigators submit very few individual mentored career development applications. They should take greater advantage of this mechanism to further their research training. Resumen ObjetivosLas becas a la carrera profesional individual supervisada Individual mentored career (K) realizados por los National Institutes of Health (NIH) son una via importante para que los investigadores medicos desarrollen sus habilidades en investigacion. Este estudio determino el numero de becas a la carrera profesional individual supervisada otorgados a las facultades de Medicina de Urgencias y Emergencias (MUE) en un periodo de 6 anos y se comparo con otras seis especialidades. MetodologiaSe consulto en la base de datos de los NIH tanto de las solicitudes K01, K08 y K23 presentadas y otorgadas y se cruzaron con la filiacion del servicio del investigador principal. Los resultados se analizaron posteriormente con los datos de la Association of American Medical Colleges para determinar la relacion entre el numero de becas y el tamano de la facultad en investigacion y formacion. ResultadosDesde 2008 a 2013, hubo un total de 45 solicitudes de desarrollo de la carrera profesional de investigadores principales con filiacion en un Servicio de MUE. De estas, 27 (60%) fueron otorgadas. Este porcentaje de exito es el tercero mas bajo de las siete especialidades de este analisis. Los urgenciologos solicitan relativamente pocas becas en comparacion con el tamano de sus universidades y el porcentaje de financiacion, 1.959 dolares por residente de MUE, es el segundo mas bajo de las seis especialidades evaluadas. ConclusionesAunque los porcentajes de exito son razonables, los investigadores de MUE solicitan pocas becas para el desarrollo de la carrera profesional individual supervisada y deberian aprovechar mas este mecanismo para su futura formacion en investigacion.