Research

The second part of recruiting: Mentoring

Rick Wright, MD, Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, considers mentoring an essential aspect of recruiting, and his philosophy of mentorship at an academic medical center includes a specific prescription: “Getting people to pursue an MSCI degree.”

A Master of Science in Clinical Investigation provides training in critical skills for medical research, including study design and statistical analysis.

“To do clinical research that can change clinical practice -- those are rigorous studies that are hard to accomplish,” Wright said. The training an MSCI degree provides sharpens an investigator’s skills to conduct better research that’s more likely to influence treatment protocols.

Wright’s goal is to have at least one investigator with an MSCI degree in each of 9 divisions under Orthopaedic Surgery.  Since arriving at Vanderbilt in 2019, Wright has already influenced surgeons’ education. Four Vanderbilt orthopaedic surgeons of distinct subspecialties (spine, hand, trauma and oncology) earned MSCI degrees during the pandemic, when virtual classes made courses easier to schedule around patient care. Wright notes that two more (in reconstruction, and a second in spine) are currently pursuing this degree, and that Vanderbilt’s MSCI program continues offering virtual courses.

“Fifteen years from now, that will be why we are who we are” – a research powerhouse, Wright said. “The level of expertise and knowledge and the discussion around clinical research with the residents and in their division is already game changing.”

Since Wright’s arrival, the department has added 13 clinicians and two research personnel. The team has accomplished approximately 20% more publications and about a 15% increase in IRB submissions in that time.

Encouraging further education is not the only way to nurture new talent, however. Wright formalized mentoring with quarterly one-on-one meetings with new faculty –unusual in academic medicine – and an assigned mentor for each incoming faculty member. The wide-ranging quarterly discussions touch on anything from research to how to get involved in a specialty’s society to work-life balance. The department also holds 1-, 3- and 5-year goal-setting sessions.

Assigning an official mentor to new faculty from the beginning of their Vanderbilt career ensures that everyone has someone to turn to for advice, Wright states, though he strives to foster an environment where additional mentoring relationships can take root organically.

“When you recruit, you have an obligation to give them all the help, all the resources they need to be successful,” Wright said. Effective mentoring also requires understanding that “success isn’t always the same for everyone you recruit,” Wright added. The content of those quarterly discussions is tailored to the individual surgeon, just as the surgeons tailor the care they provide to each patient.

“Some people want to be outstanding clinical researchers. Some people want to focus on their clinical practice. Other people really want to make a contribution in education or global health. I don’t have a single defining brand of what success is,” Wright said. “But when you’re at a place like Vanderbilt … and you have the energy and potential that we have, then you can recruit a triple threat: a great doctor first, a great educator and probably someone who can ask and answer great questions from a research standpoint.”