Design and Implementation of a Leadership Development Program for Early-Stage Investigators: Initial Results

Area of Science:

• Medical Research
• Investigator Training
• Leadership Development

Background:

• Leadership skills are crucial for medical research careers but often lack formal training.
• A program was developed to address these educational gaps for early-stage investigators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a leadership development program for early-stage investigators.
• To assess the impact of the program on participants' perceived leadership competencies.

Main Methods:

• A 9-month virtual leadership program with monthly interactive sessions.
• Topics included mentoring, team building, conflict management, and grant administration.
• Pre- and post-program surveys were analyzed using chi-squared tests.

Main Results:

• 92% of participants felt the program met expectations; 74% utilized learned skills.
• Significant increases in perceived understanding of leadership, mentoring, communication, and conflict resolution (P < .05).
• Participants valued networking and discussing shared challenges.

Conclusions:

• The leadership program effectively increased early-stage investigators' perceived leadership skills and competencies.
• The program fostered networking and collaborative problem-solving among researchers.