As biomedical and behavioral research progresses into new areas, the number of scientists active in various fields rises and falls, and the health needs of the U.S. population evolve, it is important to ensure that the preparation of future investigators reflects these changes. This book addresses these topics by considering questions such as the following: What is the current supply of biomedical and behavioral scientists? How is future demand for scientists likely to be affected by factors such as advances in research, trends in the employment of scientists, future research funding, and changes in health care delivery? What are the best ways to prepare prospective investigators to meet future needs in scientific research? In the course of addressing these questions, this volume examines the number of investigators trained every year, patterns of hiring by universities and industry, and the age of the scientific workforce in different fields, and makes recommendations for the number of scientists that should be trained in the years ahead. This book also considers the diversity of the research workforce and the importance of providing prospective scientists with the skills to successfully collaborate with investigators in related fields, and offers suggestions for how government and universities should structure their research training programs differently in the future.

As biomedical and behavioral research progresses into new areas, the number of scientists active in various fields rises and falls, and the health needs of the U.S. population evolve, it is important to ensure that the preparation of future investigators reflects these changes. This book addresses these topics by considering questions such as the following: What is the current supply of biomedical and behavioral scientists? How is future demand for scientists likely to be affected by factors such as advances in research, trends in the employment of scientists, future research funding, and changes in health care delivery? What are the best ways to prepare prospective investigators to meet future needs in scientific research? In the course of addressing these questions, this volume examines the number of investigators trained every year, patterns of hiring by universities and industry, and the age of the scientific workforce in different fields, and makes recommendations for the number of scientists that should be trained in the years ahead. This book also considers the diversity of the research workforce and the importance of providing prospective scientists with the skills to successfully collaborate with investigators in related fields, and offers suggestions for how government and universities should structure their research training programs differently in the future.

On May 3, 1993, the National Research Council's (NRC) Committee on National Needs for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Personnel convened a public hearing to gather the views of colleagues on the future direction of the National Research Service Awards (NRSA) program. In preparation for the hearing, the committee formulated a set of questions to be addressed by respondents and consulted with the staff of the National Institutes of Health in compiling a list of individuals and organizations to whom a letter soliciting a response to those questions could be sent. (See Appendix A.) A letter posing the following four questions was sent to over 1,000 individuals: What is the most significant challenge we face today in the United States in maintaining an adequate supply of qualified scientists to sustain and advance health research? What improvements might be made in the National Research Service Awards (NRSA) program to assure a continuing supply of skilled investigators in the biomedical and behavioral sciences in the coming years? What steps might be taken to improve the effectiveness of the NRSA program in recruiting women and minorities into scientific careers? What features of the NRSA training grant might be strengthened to assure the maintenance of high quality research training environments?

Based on a 2003 workshop, this study describes current public and private programs and recommends ways to recruit and retain more women and underrepresented minorities into clinical research, especially physician-scientists and nurses. Federal sponsors should improve data collection, evaluate existing training programs, and increase the diversity of study section review panels. Public and private sponsors should create funding mechanisms with flexible career paths, and universities and professional societies should both play enhanced roles in fostering diversity. A significant push is needed to recruit minorities into nursing and provide more clinical research training for nurse-scientists, nursing students, and nursing faculty.

The report identified various factors which contributed to creating an unfulfilled need for veterinarians in the biomedical research workforce, including an increase in the number of NIH grants utilizing animals and the burgeoning use of transgenic rodents, without a comparable change in the supply of appropriately-trained veterinarians. The committee developed strategies for recruiting more veterinarians into careers in biomedical research.

Biological sciences have been revolutionized, not only in the way research is conductedâ€"with the introduction of techniques such as recombinant DNA and digital technologyâ€"but also in how research findings are communicated among professionals and to the public. Yet, the undergraduate programs that train biology researchers remain much the same as they were before these fundamental changes came on the scene. This new volume provides a blueprint for bringing undergraduate biology education up to the speed of today's research fast track. It includes recommendations for teaching the next generation of life science investigators, through: Building a strong interdisciplinary curriculum that includes physical science, information technology, and mathematics. Eliminating the administrative and financial barriers to cross-departmental collaboration. Evaluating the impact of medical college admissions testing on undergraduate biology education. Creating early opportunities for independent research. Designing meaningful laboratory experiences into the curriculum. The committee presents a dozen brief case studies of exemplary programs at leading institutions and lists many resources for biology educators. This volume will be important to biology faculty, administrators, practitioners, professional societies, research and education funders, and the biotechnology industry.

NINDS has been one of the most powerful motors that pulled and pushed the rise of modern neuroscience. This book was written in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the institute. Its history and the history of neurology and neuroscience are essentially one. Well written, and lavishly accompanied by photographs that span the last half-century, this book will be a welcome addition to the library of everyone in brain research and the clinical neurosciences. The first half is a history of the Institute, starting with the enabling legislation and concentrating on the people who made NINDS a powerhouse of neuroscience research The cast includes administrators, legislators, scientists and two unique women, Mary Lasker and Florence Mahoney. Against this background, the leaders of the intramural program provide the history of major contributions. The much larger extramural program encompasses biomedical research centers throughout the United States. NINDS has been a major source of training for basic scientists in neurosciences and the single major source in developing clinical investigation. In the process modern scientific neurology and neurosurgery have been created. Oral histories provide human terms for the history. More than half of the book is devoted to biographies of scientists whose contributions earned special recognition by Lasker Awards or Nobel Prizes. Among them are Kety, Louis Sokoloff, Roscoe Brady, Nancy Wexler, Carleton Gajdusek, Stanley Prusiner, Julius Axelrod, Arvid Carlsson, Paul Greengard and Eric Kandel. Together, their stories provide a history of scientific advance.

It's obvious why only men develop prostate cancer and why only women get ovarian cancer. But it is not obvious why women are more likely to recover language ability after a stroke than men or why women are more apt to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Sex differences in health throughout the lifespan have been documented. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health begins to snap the pieces of the puzzle into place so that this knowledge can be used to improve health for both sexes. From behavior and cognition to metabolism and response to chemicals and infectious organisms, this book explores the health impact of sex (being male or female, according to reproductive organs and chromosomes) and gender (one's sense of self as male or female in society). Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health discusses basic biochemical differences in the cells of males and females and health variability between the sexes from conception throughout life. The book identifies key research needs and opportunities and addresses barriers to research. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health will be important to health policy makers, basic, applied, and clinical researchers, educators, providers, and journalists-while being very accessible to interested lay readers.