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Using a mixed-methods approach, this study evaluated a Master of Science program in Clinical and Translational Research (MSCTR) geared toward training physicians in research methodology. The purpose of this study is to allow trainees to articulate their expectations, needs and experiences in the MSCTR and to develop novel training methods and/or curriculum modifications to improve physician-scholar training.

The mixed-method study design with qualitative emphasis included interviews, participant journal entries and a survey. Interview and journal entry data were analyzed using a modified seven-stage hermeneutic analysis and survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings suggest three major areas for improvement, namely, curriculum, mentorship/relationships and instructional methods. Concluding recommendations to address these three areas include: make ongoing curriculum updates to provide a sequential pathway but also allow for flexibility, improve statistical training, invest in online courses and create a more structured mentorship program.

Extant research, though minimal, has evaluated clinical research training programs in terms of alumni productivity. However, this is the first study of its kind to examine a clinical research training program primarily qualitatively and from the perspective of its students and alumni.

Recruiting medical students into women’s health and gender-based medical research is important internationally. Medical student research training is critical for developing future women’s health leaders who are adept at conducting high-impact research. This paper aims to describe a six-month medical student research fellowship in women’s health in terms of fellowship recipients’ publications related to their research project and future academic careers.

Targeted searches of fellowship recipients and their fellowship mentors were conducted in PubMed and Scopus from 2001–2017. Prior student fellows were also e-mailed and called to assess whether they held academic positions.

Since 2001, funds have been secured to support a total of 83 students (69 women, 14 men) in a mentored research experience in women’s health and gender-based medicine. In total, 48 out of the 83 (57.8%) medical student fellowship recipients published at least one peer-reviewed research paper or scientific review related to their research project. Of the 50 prior recipients with a least five years of follow-up data (41 women, 9 men), 26 (52%) were in academic careers.

Because this is an observational study and only medical students interested in women’s health applied to be a student fellow, there is an inability to infer causality.

Following completion of the medical student research training fellowship in women’s health, more than half of recipients published in peer-reviewed medical journals on their research project.

This study explores the association of an innovative medical student experience in women’s health research on subsequent fellowship-related publications and career outcomes, contributing to the body of knowledge on the influence of a mentored research leadership program for medical students on academic professional development.

Individuals over age 65 represent the fastest-growing segment of the population, yet they are also the least studied group and are most likely to be excluded from research most likely to apply to them. A significant reason for this deficit has been a dearth of scientists and clinicians to care for and study the many diseases that impact older adults. The purpose of this manuscript is to help early-stage clinician-scientists develop local forums fostering their career developments.

In this manuscript, the difficulties associated with raising new generations of researchers in aging and offer suggestions for how early-stage clinician-scientists can foster career development in aging are discussed. This paper draws upon a local example, ARIES, to explain how early-stage investigators can be brought together with the goal of creating a pipeline of future leaders in aging research.

The model may empower more early-stage clinicians to successfully pursue aging research.

The current success of aging researchers in the early stages serves as a model for creating similar career development programs designed for early-stage researchers in aging.

Clinician engagement in research has positive impacts for healthcare, but is often difficult for healthcare organisations to support in light of limited resources. This scoping review aimed to describe the literature on health service-administered strategies for increasing research engagement by medical practitioners.

Medline, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched from 2000 to 2021 and two independent reviewers screened each record for inclusion. Inclusion criteria were that studies sampled medically qualified clinicians; reported empirical data; investigated effectiveness of an intervention in improving research engagement and addressed interventions implemented by an individual health service/hospital.

Of the 11,084 unique records, 257 studies were included. Most (78.2%) studies were conducted in the USA, and were targeted at residents (63.0%). Outcomes were measured in a variety of ways, most commonly publication-related outcomes (77.4%), though many studies used more than one outcome measure (70.4%). Pre-post (38.8%) and post-only (28.7%) study designs were the most common, while those using a contemporaneous control group were uncommon (11.5%). The most commonly reported interventions included Resident Research Programs (RRPs), protected time, mentorship and education programs. Many articles did not report key information needed for data extraction (e.g. sample size).

This scoping review demonstrated that, despite a large volume of research, issues like poor reporting, infrequent use of robust study designs and heterogeneous outcome measures limited application. The most compelling available evidence pointed to RRPs, protected time and mentorship as effective interventions. Further high-quality evidence is needed to guide healthcare organisations on increasing medical research engagement.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the systematic role played by Six Sigma methodology in improving the quality of healthcare. The literature review identifies the relevant opportunities for successful introduction and development of Six Sigma approach in healthcare sector.

A systematic methodology to identifying literature on Six Sigma in healthcare is presented. Web of Science, Medline, Emerald Insight, ASQ and ProQuest databases (1998-2016) were searched, and 68 papers of fair methodological quality were identified.

The findings of the systematic review reveal a growing interest in research on Six Sigma adoption in healthcare. The findings indicate that Six Sigma applications in healthcare have been focused on the entire hospital with no real focus on a particular department or function. The key findings on benefits, success factors, challenges and common tools of Six Sigma from the existing literature are also presented in the paper.

The papers included in the systematic review were peer-reviewed papers available in English. Due to these limitations, relevant papers may have been excluded. Moreover, the authors have excluded all conference and white papers for their inclusion in this study.

This paper can serve as a guide on how Six Sigma approach can be applied to improve the quality of healthcare. The authors also believe that this is possibly the most comprehensive systematic literature review on the topic and will set the foundation for various research avenues based on the key findings of this study.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the perceptions of students of health sciences on research training programs offered at Saudi universities.

A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to capture the perceptions of health science students about research training programs offered at selected Saudi universities. A criterion-based sampling technique was adopted, and accordingly, 630 students were selected to participate in the study. A pre-tested questionnaire tool titled, “Students Attitude towards Research (SAR) questionnaire ”, was used to capture student responses on a five-point Likert scale with respect to three dimensions, namely, extent of research activities offered in their college, involvement of faculty in research and the infrastructural facilities offered by the college for research. The students’ attitudes with respect to various components of research training programs were analyzed using mean and cumulative percentage of students satisfied with the training. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to study whether there is any significant difference in attitudes among the students belonging to four health science programs of the seven selected universities.

The results of this study demonstrate that only less than 50 per cent of the students from the selected health science colleges are satisfied with the existing research training programs. There are significant differences in the students’ attitude toward research training programs offered in seven selected Saudi universities.

This is the first Saudi Arabia-based study that provides an alarming signal to educational-policy planners on students’ perceptions and attitudes toward research training programs offered in Saudi higher education institutions.

The purpose of this paper is: first, to present a qualitative descriptive case study of the Mayo Clinic leadership and organization development philosophy and approach; second, to summarize a strategy for using intentional organization design as a foundation for culturally aligned physician leadership development and third, to describe the Mayo Clinic Leadership Model.

This manuscript is a qualitative descriptive case study of the Mayo Clinic leadership development philosophy and approach. The authors reviewed the organization design and leadership development programs of a leading healthcare institution. In the systematic appraisal, the authors sought to understand the key features and elements of team-based leadership development and the supporting organizational characteristics that guide development with the use of a customized institutional leadership model.

The authors identified four intentional characteristics of the multi-specialty group practice structure and culture that organically facilitate the development of leaders with the qualities required for the mission. The four characteristics are: patient-centered organizational design, collaborative leadership structure, egalitarian leader selection process and team-based development system. The authors conclude that organization culture and design are important foundations of leadership development. Leadership development cannot be separated from the context and culture of organizational design. Mayo Clinic’s organizational and governance systems are designed to develop culturally aligned leaders, build social capital, grow employee engagement, foster collaboration, nurture collegiality and engender trust. Effective organization design aligns the form and functions of the organization with leadership development and its mission.

This qualitative descriptive case study presentation and analysis offers a unique perspective on physician leadership and organization development in healthcare.

The paper presents an overview of the National Library of Medicine's 1988 field test and evaluation project, including the participation of 21 user sites, on the use of MEDLINE products on CD‐ROM, and reports on the subsequent evaluation forum held at the NLM on 23 September 1988.

The healthcare system is undergoing rapid change as medical centers are confronted with constricted reimbursements for healthcare services while adapting to growth in medical knowledge, major technological advances in medical practice, and a changing regulatory environment. Academic medical centers thought themselves immune to the forces that shape most service enterprises but are forced to compete based on customer service and the efficiency, quality, and safety of medical care, while continuing to compete in the academic world. These challenges are not unique to academic medicine, but these institutions are, perhaps, least suited to the leadership challenges posed by this environment. Certain attributes of these centers raise barriers to successful adaptation to the changing healthcare environment. The need for systemic change in academic medicine requires commitment to programs that create change agents willing to assume leadership roles and to guide institutional evolution. In academic medicine, traditional one-on-one relationships between mentors and trainees do not provide the breadth of guidance needed in the complex environment of research, medical practice, and teaching. A structured system of “matrix mentorship” and structured evaluation will advance institutional values, provide leaders with an essential set of skills and values consistent with institutional goals, and provide competitive advantage for medical centers in academic healthcare.