A retrospective analysis of the Dermatology Foundation's Career Development Award Program

To provide research support that develops and retains leaders, educators, and investigators in dermatology and cutaneous biology, the Dermatology Foundation (DF) has designed and implemented a comprehensive Career Development Award (CDA) Program.

To assess the impact of the DF's 3-year CDA, a comprehensive survey of recipients who received this mechanism of support between 1990 and 2007 was performed.

Of 196 individuals receiving a DF CDA, 181 were identified and asked to complete a comprehensive questionnaire concerning their career status, employment history, professional rank, and record of independent research funding (private foundation, federal, other). A personal assessment of the impact of this funding on these individuals' career trajectory was also requested.

Eighty percent of 181 CDA recipients identified currently hold full- or part-time positions in academic medicine. The faculty rank of 112 survey respondents included 46 assistant professors (41%), 41 associate professors (37%), 18 professors (16%), and 7 division or departmental chairs (6%). Of respondents, 84% reported that they have received subsequent independent research funding; 95 of these individuals (86%) have received funding from a federal agency (235 federal grants awarded to date with funding >$318M).

The study was retrospective and self-reported; some awardees did not respond to the survey.

The DF's CDA Program has succeeded in supporting the early career development of talented investigators, educators, and leaders; fostered the promotion and retention of these individuals in academic medicine; and nucleated numerous investigative careers that have successfully acquired independent research funding.