More Flexible Career Paths for Clinician Scientists
DFG Senate Commission has developed proposals concerning career prospects for clinician scientists / The long-term aim is to boost university medicine
New scientific questions constantly arise in the treatment of diseases – picking up on these and taking them back to the laboratory or carrying out a clinical study to investigate them is a core element of university medicine. This means that doctors involved in research have a key role to play in transferring scientific insights to patient care. Yet many such clinician scientists face ambiguities and challenges when planning their dual career path as a doctor and researcher. In order to offer them more attractive, long-term prospects, the Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has now drawn up recommendations concerning the creation and design of ideal positions for clinician scientists in university medicine. The aim is to retain highly qualified clinician scientists in university medicine and ultimately boost university hospitals as a key element within both the healthcare system and the research system.
With a view to counteracting an impending shortage of highly qualified physicians involved in research, the DFG provided special funding opportunities at the initiative of the Senate Commission in 2018 by establishing its Clinician Scientist Programmes. These programmes enable doctors to gain further academic qualifications alongside their specialist training, thereby combining research and clinical training. “The structured training of clinician scientists has been a success story. Nonetheless, university hospitals need to ensure that excellently trained research physicians are offered long-term job prospects, too,” said Professor Dr. Britta Siegmund, Chair of the Senate Commission and DFG Vice President.
In addition to support during training, clinician scientists would also like reliable career paths. “For a number of years now there has been a shift in the way clinician scientists have viewed the kind of ideal position they are aiming for,” said Siegmund, adding that
many didn’t necessarily want to take up a professorship since it involved more red tape. There was a desire among many for a clinical niche, she said, enabling them to focus on a specific area of scientific research, too. “At the moment, structures of this kind are only available to a very limited extent in the German system. What we need now is different ideal positions for clinician scientists and more varied career models in university medicine so as to be able to create genuine prospects for committed individuals,” said Siegmund.
The recommendations now issued by the Senate Commission indicate the potential variety of types of position in university medicine, including some combining clinical and research activity and others with either more of a research focus or more of a clinical focus. Positions are also conceivable in research-based infrastructures or in the management of university medicine. In its recommendations, the Senate Commission sets out potential areas of work and the relevant requirements for clinician scientists, while
also identifying features which can be specifically applied to ideal positions for clinician scientists. “Ideal positions have to be much more adaptable to personal life trajectories than before,” said Britta Siegmund. In the future, they are to depend on the person’s specialisation, qualifications and individual preferences, for example. The specific location is to be taken into account, too. “This kind of flexibility will enable a kind of position to be created in the future that is not yet established in Germany,” said Siegmund.
The Senate Commission believes that one key element in recruiting clinician scientists and imparting the skills required for the planned career path is the provision of science-oriented human resources development programmes that are geared towards clinician scientists’ needs. These are to reflect appreciation while at the same time generating added value, i.e. recognise individual contributions to the institution and promote employee potential. The aim is to strike a balance between the needs of the clinician scientists and of university medicine.
“Ultimately, the aim is to boost university medicine as a key player in both the research system and the healthcare system so as to remain internationally competitive,” said Siegmund. “This can only be achieved through close cooperation between university medicine, policymakers and clinician scientists themselves.”
In addition to issuing its recommendations, the Senate Commission for Key Questions on in Clinical Research will be discussing the status of clinician scientist funding and the prospects for clinician scientists in university medicine at a symposium to be held on 23 October 2024 at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
Further Information
For details of the symposium Perspektiven für Clinician Scientists in der Universitätsmedizin - Von Clinician Scientist-Programmen bis zu Zielpositionen [Prospects for clinician scientists in university medicine – from clinician scientist programmes to ideal positions]:
To the recommendations Zielpositionen für Clinician Scientists – Perspektiven in der Universitätsmedizin [Ideal Positions for Clinician Scientists – Prospects in University Medicine] issued by the Permanent Senate Commission for Key Questions in Clinical Research:
Further information about the Permanent Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research:
Contact at the Scientific Office of the Permanent Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research
- Dr. Verena Moos, Tel. +49 30 450-514265, sgkf@charite.d
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