Training T-shaped translational scientists

To evaluate the design of I-Corps@NCATS as a translational scientist training program, we mapped specific elements of the program's content and pedagogy to the characteristics of a translational scientist, as first defined by Gilliland et al. []: systems thinker, process innovator, boundary spanner, team player, and skilled communicator. Using a mixed-methods evaluation, we examined how the I-Corps@NCATS training program, delivered across twenty-two Clinical and Translational Science Award Hubs, impacted the development of these key translational scientist characteristics.

We developed survey items to assess the characteristics of systems thinker, process innovator, boundary spanner, team player, and skilled communicator. Data were collected from a national sample of 281 participants in the I-Corps@NCATS program. Using post-then-retrospective-pre survey items, participants self-reported their ability to perform skills associated with each of the translational scientist characteristics. Additionally, two open-ended survey questions explored how the program shifted participants' translational orientation, generating 211 comments. These comments were coded through a team-based, iterative process.

Respondents reported the greatest increases in self-assessed abilities related to systems thinking and skilled communication. Participants indicated the highest levels of abilities related to team player and boundary crosser. From the coding of open-ended comments, we identified two additional characteristics of translational scientists: intellectual humility and cognitive flexibility.

Participation in I-Corps@NCATS accelerates translational science in two ways: 1) by teaching the process of scientific translation from research ideas to real-world solutions, and 2) by encouraging growth in the mindset and characteristics of a translational scientist.