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. 2021 Apr 15;31(2):273-282.
doi: 10.18865/ed.31.2.273. eCollection 2021 Spring.

Mentoring Experiences and Publication Productivity among Early Career Biomedical Investigators and Trainees

Ángela Gutiérrez  1 , Lourdes R Guerrero  2 , Heather E McCreath  3 , Steven P Wallace  4
Affiliations

Mentoring Experiences and Publication Productivity among Early Career Biomedical Investigators and Trainees

Ángela Gutiérrez et al. Ethn Dis. .

Abstract

Objective: To identify which mentoring domains influence publication productivity among early career researchers and trainees and whether publication productivity differs between underrepresented minority (URM) and well-represented groups (WRGs). The mentoring aspects that promote publication productivity remain unclear. Advancing health equity requires a diverse workforce, yet URM trainees are less likely to publish and URM investigators are less likely to obtain federal research grants, relative to WRG counterparts.

Methods: A mentoring-focused online follow-up survey was administered to respondents of the NRMN Annual Survey who self-identified as mentees. Publications were identified from a public database and validated with participant CV data. Bivariate and multivariate analyses tested the associations of publication productivity with mentoring domains.

Results: URM investigators and trainees had fewer publications (M = 7.3) than their WRG counterparts (M = 13.8). Controlling for career stage and social characteristics, those who worked on funded projects, and received grant-writing or research mentorship, had a higher probability of any publications. Controlling for URM status, gender, and career stage, mentorship on grant-writing and funding was positively associated with publication count (IRR=1.72). Holding career stage, gender, and mentoring experiences constant, WRG investigators and trainees had more publications than their URM counterparts (IRR=1.66).

Conclusions: Grant-writing mentorship is particularly important for publication productivity. Future research should investigate whether grant-writing mentorship differentially impacts URM and WRG investigators and should investigate how and why grant-writing mentorship fosters increased publication productivity.

Keywords: Early Career Investigators; Mentoring; Publication Productivity; Underrepresented Minorities; Workforce Development.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: None declared.

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