Joining a professional society is an important step in the early investigator's career. Described recently by Janet Bickel as "a living matrix where minds meet and engage" (Acad Psychiatry. 2007 Mar-Apr;31:91-4), these organizations offer numerous networking, mentoring, and continuing education opportunities. How can the new investigator decide which organization to join? While the large organizations have their place, smaller organizations give the new researcher the chance to be a bigger fish in a small pond by having a more intimate venue to present their work and their ideas. Smaller groups may also offer more financial assistance for those just beginning their careers, who often are not able to afford the full cost of membership dues or meeting enrollment.
The highlight of most professional societies is the annual meeting. When attending a meeting or conference, do you know how to maximize your opportunities for personal and professional development? Find out in our archived First Tuesday teleconference presentation, "Making the Most of Conferences," presented by Barry Lebowitz, PhD.
Sincerely,
Stephen J. Bartels, MD, MS; Martha L. Bruce, PhD, MPH; Maureen Halpain, MS; Barry D. Lebowitz, PhD;
Charles F. Reynolds III, MD; Gwenn Smith, PhD; Joel E. Streim, MD; Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA
Academic Mentoring—How to Give It and How to Get It
Detsky AS, Baerlocher MO
JAMA. 2007;297:2134-2136.
Students, trainees, research fellows, and junior faculty all benefit from the direction provided by academic mentors and research supervisors. This Commentary describes several key points of advice for both mentors and mentees.
Academic competencies for medical faculty.
Harris DL, Krause KC, Parish DC, Smith MU.
Fam Med. 2007 May;39(5):343-50.
While competencies needed to perform in medical school, residency, and practice are defined, there is little guidance for faculty. An expert advisory group developed a document delineating competencies required for successful medical faculty.
MostViewedPresentations 
General
Interpreting and Responding to Grant Reviews
Stephen J. Bartels, MD, MS
This presentation describes a stepwise approach to interpreting and responding to grant reviews and offers strategies that will lead to the most successful response.
Geriatric
Statistical Support for Geriatric Mental Health Research
Donna S. Neuberg, ScD
In this presentation, Dr. Neuberg outlines how to collaborate with a statistician when developing a research plan.
MostReadArticles 
General
Training future generations of mental health researchers: devising strategies for tough times.
Reynolds CF 3rd, Pilkonis PA, Kupfer DJ, Dunn L, Pincus HA.
Acad Psychiatry. 2007 Mar-Apr;31(2):152-9.
Acad Med. 2006 Nov;81(11):959-964.
The authors describe a junior faculty scholars program in a large academic department of psychiatry, designed to reduce attrition during the high-risk period of transition from post-doctoral fellowship to receipt of the first extramural research award.
Geriatric
A RAND/Hartford initiative to build interdisciplinary geriatric health care research centers.
Pincus HA, Keyser DJ, Schultz DJ
Health Aff (Millwood). 2007 Jan-Feb;26(1):279-83
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Aug;21(8):746-51
Interdisciplinary education, mentoring, and training opportunities, particularly for junior investigators, are the critical components necessary to foster multiprofessional research endeavors.
InTheNews
Medical Researchers Lobby Congress, Bush Administration for Increased Funds for NIH
Kaiser News Network.org, May 29, 2007
Several "high-profile biomedical researchers" are "buttonholing members of Congress, cajoling the Bush administration and generally sounding the alarm" over President Bush's proposed reduction in NIH funding in fiscal year 2008.
Senators look to protect NIH from budget cuts
Government Executive.com, May 22, 2007
Senate Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, cited several needs in arguing that his panel should ignore President Bush's proposal to cut the National Institutes of Health's fiscal 2008 budget.
CareerAutobiographyKristine Yaffe, MD
Dr. Yaffe details how her initial interest in neurology and psychiatry led to a rewarding career in geropsychiatric research. Other career autobiographies can be found in the Researcher Road Maps section.
EventsCalendar
First Tuesday Teleconference: Distance Mentoring
When: June 5, 2007; 10:30am EST
Where: www.mededmentoring.org
When: June 5, 12, 16, 25
Where: N/A
24th Annual Summer Series on Aging
When: June 25-27, 2007
Where: Lexington, Kentucky
VIth European Congress of Gerontology
When: July 5-8, 2007
Where: St. Petersburg, Russia
MedEdResources
The American Geriatrics Society Special Interest Group
The American Geriatrics Society Special Interest Group (SIG) provides a list of funding opportunities for junior research faculty development.
Journal of Applied Gerontology
The Journal of Applied Gerontology publishes articles in all subdisciplines of aging whose findings, conclusions, or suggestions have clear and sometimes immediate applicability to the problems encountered by older persons.
NIH Resources for New Investigators
This comprehensive NIH site is a clearinghouse for information related to the training and research funding of new investigators.
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