The Physician Scientist Incubator Program seeks to enrich the pool of physicians who lead basic science research laboratories. The Incubator was designed to build the capacity of trainees to do innovative biomedical research and to translate research advances to the prevention, treatment, and understanding of the disease. Accepted applicants (i.e., BWF Scholars) will receive mentoring and executive coaching. In addition, BWF Scholars will take part in weekly professional and scientific development classes that include a formal curriculum with multispecialty group sessions, work-in-progress discussions, and a biostatistics boot camp. Our goal is to provide the best experience for our Scholars in preparation for their physician-scientist careers.
Program Features
Trainees can apply to the Incubator during residency or fellowship, from PGY-1 onwards. Applicants must have an independent source of stipend support (i.e. T32 or R38 grant appointments or departmental support). Scholars conduct a minimum of one (generally at least two) years of committed pre-clinical research with a physician-scientist mentor (self-identified or with Incubator guidance). Clinical work is expected to average no more than 8 hours per week during those years. Although many of the activities and support from the Incubator are concentrated during the research years, mentoring and the initiation of individualized career and research development plans begin upon appointment to the program.
Program Curriculum
- BWF Scholars will optimize their skills through the core curriculum of the incubator. Regular workshops will cover core research topics as well as professional development, resiliency, productivity, and leadership strategies and exercises.
Personal and Professional Development
- BWF Scholars are assigned individual professional Career Coaches to maximize work-life balance, strategic planning, and non-cognitive skills for career development.
- Workshops focus on intrinsic skill-building, career development resources, and practical milestones, such as financial planning and negotiating positions.
Foundational Investigatory and Scientific Skills
- We recognize that most Scholars will have a prior engagement with basic research and will continue to build foundational scientific knowledge and technical skills in their mentor’s laboratories and, in some instances, research residency and T32-directed training.
- An Incubator biostatistics course encompassing laboratory and clinical-based problem sets will enrich experimental design and analysis skills.
- Writing groups, work-in-progress meetings, and mock study sections feature group discussions of abstracts, manuscripts, grant proposals, and feedback on hypothesis testing, experimental design and analysis, and data representation.
Program Support
- Time management support aimed at personal time-saving services to assist with work-life balance management (support offered through a contracted concierge service)
- Executive Career Coaching focused on individual strategic planning and development for the physician-scientist
- Tuition fee benefit toward classes taken at the University of Pittsburgh