Incorporating Clinical Research into a Career in Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Excerpt

A former mentor once told me that there is a science and an art to clinical research. The science is the easy part—it can be taught and learned through education, mentoring, and experience. Yet, among medical practitioners, the art of clinical research is a less tangible concept, less easily articulated or imparted from mentor to mentee. It is a passion that fuels our enthusiasm, a spark that many of us find early in our careers. Nevertheless, the challenge as we transition from trainees, where time and resources to build upon this passion are more readily available, to attending physicians, is how to incorporate clinical research into one’s early career. Although incorporating clinical research into a traditional academic career is generally straightforward, this pathway is not without challenges [1, 2]. Incorporating clinical research into a non-traditional environment is a far more daunting. …