Research Participation
Importance of Scholarly Training in Pediatric Cardiology
Training in scholarly activities is an integral part of the cardiology training experience. While it is important, "practical experience can teach only the status quo, and the status quo cannot improve anything," Maynard Amerine said. The scholarly activity training experience differs in a number of ways from training in other areas of cardiology, but probably most importantly is the initiative the fellow must exert to define and identify the scholarly training objectives. The stepwise progression in the development of a research project that is outlined below is designed to focus the fellow's effort on a significant question he / she wishes to address to initiate his / her academic career in pediatric cardiology, rather than the practical experience from honing specific technical skills.
Goals of Year 1 Scholarly Activity (1 month)
- During first research month identify the resources at Cincinnati Children's and the University of Cincinnati that are relevant to an area of research interest. Rather than depending upon the guidance of a single faculty member, the fellow is encouraged to draw broadly from the faculty at Cincinnati Children's and the University of Cincinnati during this process.
- Identify a mentor.
- Work with the mentor to:
- Identify and refine the research question.
- Begin development of research specific aims.
- It is expected that by the end of the first fellowship year, the fellow should be in position to begin preliminary studies. It is expected that if required an IRB protocol will have been submitted by this time.
In addition to a mentor, each fellow must have a Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC). This committee will:
- Determine whether a specific activity is appropriate to meet the ABP guidelines for scholarly activity
- Determine a course of preparation beyond the core fellowship curriculum to ensure successful completion of the project
- Evaluate the fellow’s progress as related to scholarly activity
- Meet with the fellow early (Year 1) in the training period and regularly thereafter
- Require the fellow to present/defend the project related to his/her scholarly activity
- Advise the program director on the fellow’s progress and assess whether the fellow has satisfactorily met the guidelines associated with the requirement for active participation in scholarly activities
Goals of Year 2 Scholarly Activity Experience (4 months)
- Work with Mentor and SOC to complete Specific Aims page. The Specific Aims page will be the roadmap for developing the research proposal.
- Continue preparation for research: preliminary data collecting, IRB revisions, etc.
- It may be possible to submit preliminary data as an abstract for presentation at a national meeting.
- For some projects it may be feasible to submit a grant application to the Ohio AHA (January deadline).
- Some projects may be eligible for support on the Departmental T32 training grant.
- Attend a national or regional meeting - examples include AHA (November), ACC (March), Weinstein Meeting (May) or Keystone Conference (various times of year).
- Are you eligible for the Loan Repayment Program (LRP)?
- Some fellows may come to Cardiology with strong interest in pursuing a research career in Pediatric Cardiology. The 2nd Fellowship Year is a good time to assess options for pursuing a 4th year to gain additional research experience.
Goals of Year 3 Scholarly Activity Experience (11 months)
The bulk of the third fellowship year is focused on completing both the work product of scholarly activity and the core curriculum of scholarly activity. In addition, the Fellow should take advantage of the wealth of seminars and courses at Cincinnati Children's and the University of Cincinnati.
