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Open Access 01-03-2013

Outcome Evaluation of the National Cancer Institute Career Development Awards Program

Authors: Julie L. Mason, Ming Lei, Jessica M. Faupel-Badger, Erika P. Ginsburg, Yvette R. Seger, Leo DiJoseph, Joshua D. Schnell, Jonathan S. Wiest

Published in: Journal of Cancer Education | Issue 1/2013

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) career development (K) awards program supports investigators to develop their cancer research programs and achieve independence. The NCI Center for Cancer Training conducted a K program evaluation by analyzing outcomes of awardees and individuals who applied to the program but were not funded. The evaluation covered seven NCI mechanisms (K01, K07, K08, K11, K22, K23, and K25) between 1980 and 2008. Descriptive statistics and regression modeling were performed on the full cohort (n = 2,893 individuals, 4,081 K applications) and a comparison cohort described herein. K awardees proportionately received more subsequent NIH grants and authored more publications, and time to first R01 grant was unaffected. Of those not pursuing research, K awardees were more likely to participate in activities signaling continued scientific engagement. The NCI K program had a positive impact, not only on participants’ biomedical research careers but also on achieving outcomes significant to the scientific enterprise.

Available only for authorised users

This is the number of awards and cost from the NIH Information for Management, Planning, Analysis, and Coordination database (IMPAC II). These numbers include mechanisms not analyzed in this report (K05, K24, K99, K12). Total FY 2011 funding for CCT K mechanisms included in this report was $37.8 million for 258 awards.

The full evaluation (http://cancer.gov/researchandfunding/cancertraining/KAward-Evaluation-Report) examines two additional NCI K mechanisms, the K04 and K12, which were excluded from this report. Initial analysis of the demographic and outcome data of the K04 cohort indicated that they were further in their careers than applicants to the other mechanisms being evaluated. The K12 is an institutional award for clinical scholars, which presented unique challenges for demographic and outcome data collection, further detailed in the full evaluation.

The evaluation focused on K mechanisms intended to facilitate the progression of early career scientists and clinicians into independent research careers. Mechanisms with a focus outside of this objective or with too few years of data to collect outcomes were excluded.

Each peer-reviewed application is evaluated for merit and assigned a priority score that reflects consideration of all review criteria.

The majority of applicants applied to only one NCI K mechanism, but to control for applicants who submitted applications and/or received awards in multiple K mechanisms, we implemented a “primary K mechanism rule” that places each applicant in a single K mechanism for analysis of demographics and career outcomes.

Individual applicants might have submitted multiple applications to one or more NCI K mechanism, but only one application per fiscal year is counted in the overall total. This total also includes applications that were withdrawn.

This includes research project grants such as R03, R21, R29, and R55.

Per the 2010 NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates, over the period of 2000 through 2010, 56 % of social sciences PhDs were granted to women, and within this category, 69 % of psychology PhDs were granted to women.

A total of 2,889 applicants were included in this analysis. Four individuals were removed due to having degrees not sufficient to qualify as a K applicant (e.g., BS, MS).

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Title: Outcome Evaluation of the National Cancer Institute Career Development Awards Program
Authors: Julie L. Mason
Ming Lei
Jessica M. Faupel-Badger
Erika P. Ginsburg
Yvette R. Seger
Leo DiJoseph
Joshua D. Schnell
Jonathan S. Wiest
Publication date: 01-03-2013
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: Journal of Cancer Education / Issue 1/2013
Print ISSN: 0885-8195
Electronic ISSN: 1543-0154
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0444-y

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