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Part IV. Training and Job Development
In the decade of the 1990’s the SRS made a firm commitment to foster the
future of sleep research by increasing its support for sleep research training.
Initial efforts principally involved support for trainee attendance to the
annual scientific meeting of the Society and support for the annual training
event of the NIH-funded basic sleep research training program at UCLA. More
recent initiatives have strengthened the Trainee Travel Award program, increased
the number and scope of Trainee activities (e.g., annual high school essay
contest) and services (e.g., training opportunities manual, trainee day at
annual scientific meeting), and established a mechanism for members to apply for
funds to support other training activities. These activities have been been
fruitful, yet other needs are apparent. In particular, as we succeed in training
new generations of sleep researchers, a need for jobs becomes acute. The
following recommendations are intended to provide for ongoing and enhanced
trainee functions and to begin a process of job opportunity enhancement in sleep
research.
A. Training and Education Endowment Fund
For the past 10 years, SRS trainee activities and programs have been
supported from the operating budget of the Society. While the flow of funds has
been adequate to support ongoing programs, budgetary uncertainties have on
occasion affected the smooth continuity of and planning for trainee functions.
To stabilize trainee operations and remove these expenses from the Society’s
operating budget, the task force recommends establishment of a Training and
Education Endowment Fund, with a target amount of $1.7 million, which with a
very conservative 5% earnings return will provide adequate funding to sustain
trainee operations into the foreseeable future. Until the target endowment is
achieved, the SRS general operating funds will be required to support ongoing
trainee programs. As soon as possible, however, trainee program should be fully
supported by the endowment earnings. Spending authorization requires approval of
the Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Signature authority on the
Training and Education Account shall vest with the Secretary/Treasurer and the
President of the Sleep Research Society. Appropriate legal counsel will be
required to establish guidelines for the endowment.
The task force recommends that development of the endowment fund proceed
with the following two initiatives. First, start-up of the endowment can be
accomplished by earmarking a portion of the current SRS general fund (not to
exceed 50%) as endowment principle. Second, a Task Force for Endowment
Development shall be established to plan and implement national and
international fund raising efforts whose goal is to produce a rapid increase the
endowment principle from outside sources.
B. Job Development Initiatives
The success of training efforts is marked by the number of scientists trained
in sleep research who are currently or soon to be on the job market. Due to the
limited number of research positions specifically designated for sleep research,
the success of our trainees will be enhanced by expanded job development
initiatives by the SRS. The task force has identified a number of areas in which
SRS might take steps to enhance such job opportunities. The suggestions below
span a range of levels of investment and commitment on the part of SRS, and the
task force recommends that these suggestions be considered in the Society’s
short-term and long-term planning as appropriate. The suggestions below are
formulated largely in the context of academic environments, but most may be
adjusted for use as well in industrial or governmental research settings. A
major thrust of the suggestions is to create impactful statements that highlight
the state of sleep science, the enhanced opportunities for research that accrue
when sleep research is added to a research portfolio, and the gaps that exist in
pursuing such opportunities. The following suggestions illustrate a few ideas
the task force felt may have merit for the Society to pursue in the areas of job
development.
- Create and distribute promotional-informational pamphlets or brochures to
give identity to sleep research, highlighting cutting-edge research techniques,
approaches, tools, and findings, as well as their implications and important
gaps. Such material might perhaps identify or highlight individual sleep
researchers and the departments in which their appointments reside. [Thus, for
example, Dr. X whose research laboratory is in the department of (biology or
psychology or physiology or endocrinology or psychiatry or neurology or
pulmonary medicine and so forth) recently published the following sleep-related
finding in some high profile venue or other and also provides the following
important service or function within the department.] Such promotional
information might also reside on the society’s web site.
- Create an annual "speakership" for our most articulate, charismatic,
cutting-edge sleep researcher(s) to provide colloquium/seminar presentations to
relevant departments in colleges and universities and medical schools (or
industrial/governmental venues) that do not have any sleep research or sleep
educational activities. Provide SRS resources to fund or supplement travel and
honoraria, to publicize the events, and to provide administrative support.
Provide materials to the speaker(s) to facilitate using the opportunity to
highlight the roles that a sleep researcher can play in the local setting. The
speaker(s) might also serve to network information about job opportunities and
candidate job applicants with training in sleep research.
- The SRS might also consider encouraging, facilitating, sponsoring, or
organizing an effort to produce a state-of-the-art text book to complement or
supplement courses with a focus on sleep and sleep research. The SRS should
promote timely revisions to maintain currency of such a volume. The availability
of such a high-quality resource may enhance the potential for our job-seeking
trainees to highlight teaching in creating their job-search portfolios.
- A more long-range initiative might involve an SRS "matching funds" pool for
academic slots at colleges, universities, and medical schools. Such an endeavor
requires significant commitment of resources to accomplish and is beyond the
current means of the SRS. Nevertheless, creative initiatives or partnerships
might make such a plan feasible. In such an initiative, the SRS might offer
matching funds toward the salary of a first-time junior faculty member
(Assistant Professor). Departments or deans would apply for matching funds from
the SRS. The SRS funding would be limited (e.g., 1 or 2 years) with the intent
of aiding the junior faculty member until she/he can obtain sufficient external
funding (the latter is the obligation of the junior faculty recipient). In
exchange for the SRS support, the Department receiving the matching funds makes
a firm commitment to the junior faculty member for at least 3 years with an
intention to continue supporting the slot as a regular faculty position
according to the institution’s procedures.
