Description and Productivity of Emergency Medicine Researchers Receiving K23 or K08 Mentored Research Career Development Awards

Objectives The primary individual research career development awards for emergency medicine (EM) investigators are the K08 and K23 awards. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, postaward productivity of EM K08 and K23 awardees has not been previously described. The objectives were to describe EM researchers who have received K08 or K23 awards and to evaluate their postaward federal funding and publications. Methods This was a cross-sectional study, conducted during January 2012, of clinician-scientists who previously completed EM residency or fellowship programs and have received K08 or K23 awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) between fiscal years 2000 through 2011. Awardees were identified through the NIH reporting tool (NIH RePORTER). Postaward funding was abstracted, including R01-equivalent funding for K awardees who completed their K training by the end of the 2011 fiscal year. Postaward publications (with journal impact factor) were tabulated for all K awardees using PubMed and Journal Citation Reports. An e-mail survey was also conducted during September and October 2012 to describe the awardee characteristics (demographics and research background) of all EM K awardees using REDCap electronic data captures tools. Simple descriptive statistics are reported. Results Sixty-three EM awardees were identified; 24 (38%) were K08 awardees, and 39 (62%) were K23 awardees. Of the 38 (60%) awardees who completed their K training, 16 (42%) obtained subsequent federal funding, with six (16%) obtaining R01 funding (median time from end of K award to R01 award was 4.5 years). Overall, EM awardees published a mean (±SD) of 4.0 (±1.3) manuscripts per year (after the start of their K awards); the mean (±SD) impact factor of the journals in which these manuscripts were published was 4.5 (±5.7). Forty-five (71%) of EM K awardees responded to the survey. Respondents had a median age of 36 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 35 to 38 years), and 33 were male (73%). The median time from completion of residency to start of the K award was 6 years (IQR = 4 to 7 years), with 27 (60%) completing a research fellowship prior to the K award. Conclusions Over 40% of EM K awardees who completed their career development training subsequently obtained federal funding as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI, while approximately one in six obtained R01 equivalent funding. Given the numerous barriers facing emergency care researchers, EM K awardees demonstrate good postaward productivity. Resumen Descripcion y Productividad de los Investigadores de Medicina de Urgencias y Emergencias que Recibieron Becas de Formacion de Carrera Investigadora Supervisada K23 o K08 Objetivos Las principales becas individuales de formacion para la carrera investigadora en medicina de urgencias y emergencias (MUE) son las becas K08 y K23. Segun el conocimiento de los autores, no se ha descrito previamente la productividad tras las becas K08 y K23. Los objetivos fueron describir los investigadores de MUE que recibieron una beca K08 o K23, y evaluar sus publicaciones y ayudas publicas tras la beca. Metodologia Estudio transversal de investigadores clinicos que completaron previamente una residencia en MUE o una beca de investigacion y que habian recibido una beca K08 o K23 de los National Institutes of Health (NIH) o de la Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) durante los anos 2000 a 2011, y que se llevo a cabo en enero del 2012. Los becados se identificaron a traves de las tablas publicadas por los NIH (NIH RePORTER). Se resumio la ayuda tras la beca, que incluyo la ayuda equivalente al R01 para becados K que completaron sus formacion K al final del ano 2011. Las publicaciones tras la beca (con el factor impacto de la revista) se tabularon para todos los becados K mediante PubMed y Journal Citation Reports. Se llevo a cabo tambien una encuesta a traves de correo electronico durante septiembre y octubre de 2012 para describir las caracteristicas (demograficas y experiencia investigadora) de todos los becados K de MUE usando las tablas de captura de datos electronicas REDCap. Se presentaron las estadisticas descriptivas. Resultados Se identificaron 63 becados de MUE, 24 (38%) fueron recibieron becas K08, y 39 (62%) becas K23. De los 38 (60%) becados que completaron su formacion K, 16 (42%) obtuvieron ayudas publicas posteriormente y 6 (16%) obtuvieron ayudas R01 (mediana de tiempo entre el final de la beca K y la beca R01 de 4,5 anos). De todos, los becados de MUE publicaron una media de 4,0 (desviacion estandar [DE] ±1.3) articulos por ano (tras el inicio de su beca K), con una media de puntuacion de factor de impacto de la revista a 5 anos de 4,5 (DE ±5,7) por publicacion. Cuarenta y cinco (71%) de los becados K de MUE respondieron a la encuesta. Los respondedores tenia una mediana de edad de 36 anos (RIC 35 a 38 anos) y 33 fueron varones (73%). La mediana de tiempo desde que se finalizo la residencia hasta el inicio de la beca K fue de 6 anos (RIC 4 a 7 anos), con 27 (60%) que completaron un programa de una beca de investigacion previamente a la obtencion de la beca K. Conclusiones Mas del 40% de los becados K de MUE que completaron su formacion obtuvieron ayudas publicas como investigador principal o coinvestigador, mientras que aproximadamente uno de cada seis obtuvo ayudas equivalentes a R01. Dadas las numerosas barreras para los investigadores en MUE, los becarios de MUE demuestran una buena productividad tras la beca.