Career Achievements of NIH (National Institutes of Health) Predoctoral Trainees and Fellows

摘要

A study of 56,000 persons who received Ph.D.'s over a 14-year period concluded that those supported as graduate students by NIH research training grants outperformed all others in every measure of career success that was examined. The study was done under contract by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), National Academy of Sciences, in close cooperation with the NIH Manpower Evaluation Advisory Committee. The IOM compared the former NIH predoctoral trainees with graduates of the same departments who did not receive any NIH support and with all other biomedical science Ph.D. recipients. The IOM found that 'Although the observed differences among the three groups are not necessarily large, the findings are remarkably consistent for the numerous indices examined, leading to the overall conclusion that former NIH predoctoral trainees and fellows have been more likely to pursue careers in biomedical research and have been more successful in this pursuit than their colleagues.'