BEAR Cage: Mentoring through Engagement
Authors: Theodore F. Reiss, Joel Moss, Timothy R. Watkins, Atul Malhotra
Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2016)

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Sleep 17. Mehra R, Stone KL, Varosy PD, Hoffman AR, Marcus GM, Blackwell T, Ibrahim OA, Salem R, Redline S. Nocturnal Arrhythmias across a spectrum of obstructive and central sleep-disordered breathing in older men: outcomes of sleep disorders in older men (MrOS sleep) study. Arch Intern Med 2009;169:1147–1155. 18. Javaheri S. Sleep disorders in systolic heart failure: a prospective study of 100 male patients. The ﬁnal report. Int J Cardiol 2006;106: 19. McMillan A, Bratton DJ, Faria R, Laskawiec-Szkonter M, Grifﬁn S, Davies RJ, Nunn AJ, Stradling JR, Riha RL, Morrell MJ; PREDICT Investigators. Continuous positive airway pressure in older people with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (PREDICT): a 12-month, multicentre, randomised trial. Lancet Respir Med 2014; 20. McMillan A, Bratton DJ, Faria R, Laskawiec-Szkonter M, Grifﬁn S, Davies RJ, Nunn AJ, Stradling JR, Riha RL, Morrell MJ. A multicentre randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of continuous positive airway pressure for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in older people: PREDICT. Health Technol Assess Copyright © 2016 by the American Thoracic Society BEAR Cage: Mentoring through Engagement The Way is in training. Become acquainted with every art. Know the way of all Professions. —Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings As health sciences is broadening its focus to include transforming new knowledge into various health care system improvements, establishing a career as a scientiﬁc investigator is increasingly a challenging process. To achieve success in this environment, young investigators need to integrate knowledge from many different disciplines. They also require understanding of both the art and science of research translation, as it enhances scientiﬁc creativity and efﬁcient strategic thinking, leading to real-world innovations (1–3). Furthermore, this knowledge will better position young investigators for careers and leadership positions across university, industry, nonproﬁt, and government settings, including regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. And it will improve their ability to compete for ever-tightening resources in these environments. Going forward, we must make every effort to ﬁnd new venues to enhance and further develop this art and wisdom as a complementary discipline to the more traditional research skills (4–7). The Solution The American Thoracic Society (ATS) needs to further enhance its leadership position in educating early-stage researchers by preparing them for these challenging translational careers. In new ways, we, as active ATS members, need to show junior faculty Supported by the Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, NHLBI (J.M.). Originally Published in Press as DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201602-0297ED on February 24, 2016 that they have the support of their professional organization and that continuing guidance will be available as their careers develop. Although already enhancing the careers of its junior investigators on many levels, the ATS should continue to evolve by being recognized as an exemplary professional organization for facilitating translational research training and career development. Our goal, however, is not only to train investigators but also to convey the excitement of translational science: learning how to adapt ideas to the real world of improving health, be it in health policy or clinical care. The ATS, with its diverse membership and expertise, is uniquely positioned to achieve this vision through coordinated activities, including learning opportunities and mentoring of early-career investigators. To these ends, the ATS Drug, Device, Discovery, and Development (Quad D) Committee was given the assignment to promote translational science by training and inspiring young investigators in respiratory medicine, critical care, and sleep disorders through providing an infrastructure for teaching and mentorship. It began as an ATS “Academy of Translational Sciences” (ATS 2 ), dedicated to ﬁlling in learning gaps and providing mentoring for early career investigators, who will be the future of translational science. The Quad D Committee considered ways to maximize impact and leverage resources for ATS members. A survey of committee members indicated that components of a Translational Core Curriculum, some developed, in part, to facilitate the Clinical and Translational Science Award program, are already available. Duplication of these training modules, many available online, was deemed unnecessary and would not contribute meaningfully to career advancement of ATS members, especially junior faculty. We chose to follow complementary routes to achieve these goals, in part through activities at or around the ATS International American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Volume 193 Number 7 | April 1 2016