Kaiser Permanente and Stanford co-host NIDDK-funded Centers for Diabetes Translation Research conference
Sixty diabetes and health equity researchers came to the San Francisco Bay Area in June to attend the first National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)-funded conference for early-stage investigators affiliated with the Centers for Diabetes Translation Research (CDTR). The National Enrichment Program conference was designed to help early-stage investigators develop cross-institution relationships and navigate the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant processes that will propel their careers.
Held at Stanford University, the conference was co-hosted by Julie Schmittdiel, PhD, MA, and Luis Rodriguez, PhD, MPH, research scientists in the Health Care Delivery and Policy Section of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research (DOR), and Alyce Adams, PhD, MPP, and Tainayah Thomas, PhD, MPH, professors at Stanford University School of Medicine and DOR adjunct investigators.
“Dr. Adams and I were honored to be selected by NIDDK to co-direct the inaugural CDTR National Enrichment Program,” said Schmittdiel, associate director for Health Care Policy and Delivery at DOR. “The Program’s mission to support the professional opportunities of early-stage investigators committed to diabetes translation and health equity research is critical to advancing these fields.”
The conference was organized specifically to respond to challenges faced by early-stage investigators — in particular women and underrepresented scientists — that impact their academic career progression. It was attended by representatives of the 7 funded CTDRs and more than 23 research institutions from across the country. Kaiser Permanente, Stanford, and the University of California, San Francisco coordinate a joint center, The Diabetes Research for Equity through Advanced Multilevel Science Center for Diabetes Translational Research (DREAMS-CDTR).
“This is a vision materialized,” Pamela Thornton, PhD, CDTR program director and acting senior advisor of Health Equity Research and Workforce Diversity at the NIDDK, told the 35 early-stage investigators and 18 faculty in attendance. “This pilot program is clearly a success.”
The attendees exemplified the diversity of the researchers in this field and the topics they study. “During the early part of my career, I was often the only person like me in the room in my department and at scientific meetings,” said Adams, a Stanford Medicine Innovation Professor in Health Policy. “With this community of practice, we are creating a place where the scientists who represent the full diversity of the populations affected by diabetes can learn from one another. It was such an honor to be part of creating this amazing event designed and led by 2 exceptional early-stage investigators.”
For many early-stage investigators, a key challenge is establishing supportive cohorts and learning communities. To address that need, the conference created multiple opportunities for attendees to connect personally and professionally. These events included speed networking for early-stage investigators and faculty; consultancy challenges; and a work-in-progress session that allowed for near-peer and senior mentoring.
“Some of the challenges of developing a successful career in diabetes translation and health equity research include having a limited pool of available mentors,” said Rodriguez, an early-stage investigator at DOR. “Mentors support you in the transition from early to mid-career and beyond, help you face competitive and limited funding opportunities, and assist you in putting together a team who can guide and support you. The National Enrichment Program provided connections, space and time, and technical advice on how to face many of these challenges.”
A Q&A session gave attendees time to have questions answered about applying for NIDDK and other NIH funding opportunities. In addition, throughout the meeting, a graphic recorder used text and imagery to create a visual summary of key conference themes, goals, outcomes, and take-aways.
“We have received tremendous praise for the conference and the new connections it facilitated,” said Thomas, an early-stage investigator and an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University. “We are now leading an effort to use the conference findings to help mentors, the NIH, institutions, and public health and policy makers better support early-stage investigators in diabetes translation and health equity research.”
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