Bridging Disciplines in the Brain, Behavioral, and Clinical Sciences (2000) / Chapter Skim
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3 Barriers to Interdisciplinary Research and Training
3 Barriers to Interdisciplinary Research and Training
Pages 41-57
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From page 41... ...
Despite the hesitation of some scientists to engage in interdisciplinary research, the nature of the complex scientific challenges that we face creates a need to ensure that it can occur. ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS Most scientists recognize a need for interdisciplinary research, many are reluctant to abandon their disciplinary focus.52 In the 1980s, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, surveyed its members as to whether they agreed with the statement that "more interdisciplinary research should be funded because many of the most significant scientific problems cannot be accommodated within arbi41
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From page 42... ...
But when research bridges disciplines and this same depth cannot be attained, the quality of the research is perceived as poor. In another survey of its members, "Removing the Boundaries: Perspectives on Cross-Disciplinary Research," Sigma Xi received responses from over 120 members representing seven scientific disciplines, including psychology and medicine who expressed opinions on obstacles to interdisciplinary research.52 Some of the comments indicated concerns: working in interdisciplinary research was not "pure", it was "less challenging" or "high risk", those who do collaborative work could not succeed in their own discipline, they would be lost in a team effort and "lose their professional identity." Others have expressed similar views: While they pay lip service to the principle tof interdisciplinarity]
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From page 43... ...
If these are outside one's field, as implied in interdisciplinary research, they might be difficult to evaluate.52 Interdisciplinary team members sometimes have difficulty in evaluating each other's performance on a given project because the criteria that are appropriate for such an evaluation are not familiar.6 Moreover, reward systems and practices regarding authorship differ among disciplines.334~ Good communication skills are helpful in alleviating such problems, but most members of interdisciplinary teams lack training and proficiency in such skills.~5 Relationships among team members affect productivitys Team members need to be able to compromise and cooperate.24~40~52 A feeling of community can facilitate interactions in an interdisciplinary teams Many stress that good communication among team members is essential for the process to succeed.8 ~8 40 In building an interdisciplinary team, clarity regarding roles, expectations, and authority particularly with regard to sharing of data and resources is important for success. Mutually acceptable policies for disseminating research results (including authorship)
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From page 44... ...
To coordinate the efforts of a diverse team requires credibility as a research scientist, skill in modulating strong personalities, the ability to draw out individual strengths, and skill in the use of group dynamics to blend individual strengths into a team. Some have suggested that the best persons to direct interdisciplinary teams are mature scientists with well-established research careers who have conducted interdisciplinary research of their own.52 Facilitating Interactions In the experiences of the committee members, chance interactions can promote interdisciplinary collaborations.
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From page 45... ...
The priority given to contributions in fields that correspond to departmental structures can inhibit interdisciplinary approaches. Institutional policies regarding allocation of laboratory space, hiring, and promotion policies vary considerably, but the department chair generally has a major influence.
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From page 46... ...
in Breast Cancer, which supports translational research, requires applicant organizations to supply a statement of institutional commitment that describes the mechanisms by which the program is given high institutional priority, the infrastructure for establishing, maintaining, and monitoring the program, and the plans for recruitment to strengthen the scientific capabilities of the program.46 In addition, the institution is required to provide evidence of tangible commitment of space and money. Requirements of institutional commitment as a condition of application and funding are likely to bolster institutional support.
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From page 47... ...
New editorial policies on authorship are arising out of ethical concerns about multiauthor papers.32 To protect against fraud, there is a growing call to define the contribution of each author.28 34 57 Acknowledging individual contributions to a research effort might provide a means to provide credit to people involved in interdisciplinary research, above and beyond senior authorship. FUNDING BARRIERS Federal Funding Scientists perceive that they will encounter difficulties in obtaining support for and conducting successful interdisciplinary research because funds for such research come from many agencies with different programmatic emphases.
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From page 48... ...
Many have suggested that the traditional proposal evaluation by discipline-specific study sections makes it difficult for interdisciplinary proposals to compete successfully.52 In an "open letter" to NIH, Howard Morgan42 wrote that, 'peer review of cross-disciplinary research presents the problem of the definition of a peer." Even if all disciplines covered by a proposal are represented in a review committee, unless the committee members themselves have tried to do interdisciplinary research in the field in question, they might not appreciate the issues. Morgan called on NIH to correct the problems associated with the review of interdisciplinary grants.
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From page 49... ...
The requirement for depth of knowledge in one field during graduate school might seem to preclude obtaining breadth in other disciplines within a reasonable period.52 The length of graduate training is increasing and the time spent in postdoctoral positions is also on the rise.4548 Interdisciplinary requirements might worsen the delay in starting a career. That concern is especially relevant to clinician-scientists.
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From page 50... ...
, it could influence the choice to pursue interdisciplinary or translational research. Graduates from an academic pediatric residency program were surveyed on factors that influenced their career paths, over half those responding indicated that salary expectation discouraged them from entering researchist Furthermore, the financial concerns might have a particular influence on the career paths of minorities and women.
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From page 51... ...
There has been a strong trend toward increasing employment of scientists in industry compared with academe. Data from the American Psychological Association indicated a dramatic shift of employment settings for PhD psychologists between 1973 and 1997 away from colleges, universities, and medical schools and toward for-profit settings.3 A 1995 membership survey of the Society for Neuroscience similarly showed an increase in the percentage of members working in industry from 3% to 10% since 1982.54 A survey by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology showed a similar trend for biomedical scientists in general.20 In response to those trends, a study by the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy of the National Academies recommended that graduate programs provide greater scope and interdisciplinary training.45 Staying Current As the volume of information grows in a given subspecialty, the number of publications that a person needs to read to stay current in his or her own field forms another deterrent to becoming more interdisciplinary.
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From page 52... ...
To continue a productive research career, funding mechanisms must be available to allow midcareer scientists to update themselves or retrain in another, quickly moving field. Such educational experiences require the opportunity to add to basic knowledge in one or more disciplinary skills or to broaden one's knowledge, not necessarily to create the capacity to conduct wholly different research alone, but, rather, to learn enough about other disciplines to work as a productive team member.
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From page 53... ...
· Facilitate interactions among investigators in different disciplines by funding shared and core facilities. · Encourage legislation to expand loan repayment programs to include investigators outside NIH who are engaged in funded interdisciplinary and translational research.
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From page 54... ...
· Indicate in funding announcements that training is an integral component of the interdisciplinary research project. Universities should: · Allocate appropriate credit for interdisciplinary efforts.
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From page 55... ...
1983. Structural clarity of interdisciplinary teams: A research note.
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From page 56... ...
1993. Factors influencing the interests, career paths, and research activities of recent graduates from an academic, pediatric residency program.
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From page 57... ...
47. National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program.
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