Jeffrey S. Flier, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, welcomed new and returning members of the council, and shared his views of the role of the Faculty Council—the only elected body in the School’s governance structure—as a valuable source of advice and counsel to the Dean on a variety of issues.
Flier introduced Faculty Council vice chair, Sheila Barnett, associate professor of anaesthesia at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Barnett explained the role of the Docket Committee and how meeting agendas are developed in collaboration with the Dean. She asked that members send her topic suggestions to be covered during faculty council meetings.
Flier then introduced Gordon Strewler, director of the Scholars in Medicine Program and master of the Cannon Society. Strewler explained that the goal of the Scholars in Medicine Program is to provide students with a mentored experience of scholarship and the training to accomplish scholarly research? The research requirement was designed so that most students will perform hypothesis-driven research that could begin after Year 1, but in many cases not until after Year 3. Strewler described the role of the Faculty Committee on Scholarship in Medicine that oversees the program. He also discussed the “Pursuing Inquiry in Medicine” course required of all new pathway students, including the introduction of students to research, finding mentors and proposal writing.
Strewler reviewed the faculty participation to-date and reported that approximately 500 faculty members have expressed an interest in mentoring students in the program. He noted that mentoring student scholarship will have a place in the School’s curriculum vitae format and that mentoring must be recognized in promotion.
A general discussion of the Scholars in Medicine program followed. Strewler responded to questions about the length of time that will be required of students and how projects that may not work out will be handled. He said that many students are expected to take a fifth year and that faculty oversight of the program will have the flexibility to handle projects that may be unsuccessful.
Next, Flier introduced Elliot Antman, associate dean for clinical and translational research, to give a presentation on the Harvard Catalyst’s education programs. Antman discussed the philosophy of postgraduate education in clinical/translational science, from basic biomedical discovery and translation to humans, to patients, to practice and to population health. He outlined several course offerings that are available to PhDs in biomedical science across the Harvard community—the Leder Human Biology and Translational Medicine Program, Introduction to Clinical Investigation, Design and Implementation for Clinical Trials, Certificate in Applied Biostatistics, Biomarkers and Imaging: ITTM Module, and Leadership Strategies for the Researcher—as examples of the type of courses offered.
Antman also described Catalyst tools and resources to support individual investigators, including the online education video library and the Grant Review and Support Program.
Flier introduced Anne Klibanski, associate dean for clinical and translational research, to give a presentation on the Harvard Catalyst Clinical Research Center (HCCRC).
Klibanski described the HCCRC structure and services, highlighting a decentralized resource model, common research protocols, an online protocol review process, a standard services model and a trans-Catalyst scheduling system as five major HCCRC accomplishments.
The HCCRC’s current priorities are: to support T1/T2 investigators; to provide support for NIH funded investigators; to provide preferential support for junior investigators including seed money for ancillaries; to provide support for PhD PI investigators to conduct clinical/translational research; and to increase the number and types of investigators using HCCRC resources.
A general discussion followed concerning the future of the HCCRC. In response to questions, Klibanski explained that although future NIH funding levels are worrisome, there has been expressed support for the clinical and translational science centers (CTSAs) across the country, of which Harvard Catalyst is the largest. Klibanski explained that the request for application for the next five years of funding for CTSAs has yet to be issued by the NIH.
Dean Flier adjourned the meeting.
