The objectives of this contract include an in-depth investigation by experts into alternatives to improve the quality of recruitment, training and career development for clinical investigators and to recommend approaches for increasing the probability of retaining investigators in clinical research careers. The contract scope will include several areas of clinical research, highlighting three for particular emphasis: 1) patient-oriented research, 2) studies of management of disease, and 3) assessment of health care practices and delivery systems. Input will be provided through both workshop and reports; the audience will include individuals from government, academia, industry as well as those interested in careers in clinical investigation. The scope of the contract will carefully examine the three phases in career development of clinical investigators to understand the reasons for the apparent decline in the number of individuals entering clinical research and determine approaches to reverse this trend. In addition, experts in clinical research will help assess the critical essentials for training clinical investigators at the post-doctoral and junior career development levels.
