Developing the next generation of surgeon scientists is challenging; however, a unique program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville is addressing some of the difficulties young clinician-researchers in otolaryngology may face through its annual Surgeon Scientist Symposium, now entering its second year.
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February 2025“Surgeon scientists are an endangered species,” said Justin Turner, MD, PhD, chair of the department of otolaryngology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine and co-course director of the symposium. “Fewer and fewer residents and fellows completing otolaryngology training are choosing to pursue careers in research, and that’s a real problem because the downstream effect is we’re ultimately going to decrease innovation in the field over time.”
Taking place July 24 to 25 at Vanderbilt, the symposium is funded through a five-year, $187,000 National Institute of Health (NIH) R13 grant. The program emerged from a successful research boot camp program at Vanderbilt. “We have clinical boot camps for residents to get them ready for being in the clinics doing basic surgical procedures, but we didn’t have something similar for doing research,” Dr. Turner said. After seeing positive results locally, he and his colleagues wanted to expand access to other institutions.
Creating a Supportive Learning Environment
With a cap of 40 participants, the program creates opportunities for meaningful interaction with experienced surgeon scientists. “I can’t imagine a better symposium for surgeons making research their career path,” said Melina Windon, MD, an assistant professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, who attended last year’s inaugural event. “Given the demands of practice for head and neck surgery, it’s very challenging to figure out how to best spend your time getting extramural funding to support your work as well as how to conduct research that is rigorous and impactful.” Dr. Windon added that at her institution there are no other head and neck surgeon scientists with significant protected time for research, so she is forging a new path and appreciated the mentorship the symposium offered last summer.
Surgeon scientists are an endangered species. Fewer and fewer residents and fellows completing otolaryngology training are choosing to pursue careers in research, and that’s a real problem because the downstream effect is we’re ultimately going to decrease innovation in the field over time. —Justin Turner, MD, PhD
Aaron C. Moberly, MD, associate professor of otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and course co-director, emphasized the program’s practical focus. “Many early career researchers don’t realize it’s important to apply for some of the smaller society and institutional grants,” he said. “While these smaller grants tend not to be for very much money, applying for them gives you experience, feedback, and a track record of funding as you go up for your first NIH awards.”
The symposium’s content spans crucial areas for early-career success, including funding mechanisms, grant writing, mentorship, and building a research team. “One of the priorities I had in coming to NIH is developing the surgeon scientist workforce,” said Debara Tucci, MD, MS, MBA, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), who delivered the keynote address at the inaugural symposium. “There are barriers to overcome, but building this workforce is critically important for addressing the needs of the patient community.”
The program demonstrates its commitment to accessibility through several concrete measures. Registration is free, and ten travel grants of $1,000 each are available for early-career participants who might not otherwise have access to travel funds. Additionally, the symposium provides on-site childcare, a feature that proved valuable in its first year.
“It’s important to have these programs support childcare and other mechanisms to make it easier for women to attend conferences,” Dr. Tucci said. “Providing any kind of support to enable women to get through a time in their lives with overwhelming challenges is critically important.”
Impact and Insights
Joseph Califano, MD, a head and neck surgeon-scientist at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) who presented at last year’s Surgeon Scientist Symposium, said surgeon scientists give academic institutions an enormous amount of prestige by pushing forward new standards of clinical care and fulfilling the research and educational missions of institutions. “Even though this path is more challenging, you end up being really highly valued even if you’re moderately successful,” he said. “Those who are successful tend to be triple threats. They do quality, cutting-edge research, train and inspire new scientists, and they’re often excellent clinicians.”
Dr. Turner, whose research interests include the pathophysiology of chronic sinusitis, said he was drawn to this research path because, in his clinical practice, he was often frustrated with outcomes for some of his patients. “In many cases, we would do very effective surgery, but some patients would continue to have symptoms going forward, while others did not,” he said. “This was something that for years we really didn’t understand.” Now, however, Dr. Turner sees that some of his own contributions to understanding the disease at a molecular level have helped his colleagues with better treatment algorithms for patients. “We now have a better idea of which patients will do better with surgery versus medications or other potential interventions,” Dr. Turner said. “Seeing your findings translated into clinical practice is one of the most exciting things.”
For attendees like Dr. Windon, the symposium offered unexpected insights into the research career path. “I didn’t realize how much of a lifestyle applying for grants was,” she said. “You’re applying almost every cycle, and there’s an incredible amount of failure. The time to getting a grant is also very long, so you always have to be thinking five years ahead of where you are right now. It’s very different from how we think as surgeons.”
The symposium also facilitates valuable networking opportunities. Dr. Windon noted that she received direct mentorship from senior faculty, including a review of her KL2 application and guidance on writing aims pages. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to speak to Dr. Tucci in a setting that small again,” she said.
Dr. Moberly emphasized another crucial aspect of early career development when building a viable research program: protecting one’s time. “You come out of training, and you’re very well trained clinically and surgically,” he said, “so you get hungry for ramping up your surgical volumes and building your clinical practice early. However, that can prevent you from dedicating the time and energy you’re going to need to start a strong and sustainable research program.”
Looking Ahead: The 2025 Symposium
Based on feedback from the inaugural symposium, the 2025 program will feature more interactive elements with breakout sessions. “This year we plan to have additional discussion sessions led by Vanderbilt faculty and invited faculty,”