Promoting crucial team building, collaboration, and communication skills in graduate students through interactive retreats

Abstract

Biomedical graduate students receive intensive training in their scientific area of interest yet need additional skills for successful scientific careers. Our aim was to promote team building, improve collaborations and enhance communication skills. An off-site yearly retreat was organized for the graduate students in our NIH-funded Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) graduate training program. Retreat themes were addressed through short presentations, case studies, live podcasts, webinars, focus groups, role-play, and breakout sessions with various team building exercises to practice communication skills and identify abilities, knowledge, values, and behaviors. Trainees gave short presentations and served as discussion leaders on topics related to the central theme. Expert guest speakers participated in discussion sessions with the trainees. Trainees evaluated the retreats at the end. A total of 48 trainees, 12 RISE Program faculty and staff, and 26 external speakers from industry, academia, media/journalism, the arts, psychology, and holistic medical fields participated over 9 years. The overall average benefit of the in-person retreats was rated 4.80 on a Likert scale of 1–5 by trainees. Trainees particularly enjoyed the informal interactions with program faculty, staff, and fellow trainees. They appreciated the opportunity to learn soft skills, such as interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and leadership. Two additional retreats conducted virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic were perceived as less beneficial. We conclude that off-site interactive retreats are a valuable tool for enhancing soft skills and a sense of team identity in a biomedical sciences graduate program, while covering important issues related to scientific careers.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Off-site interactive science-related retreats are a valuable tool for enhancing soft skills and sense of team identity in a biomedical sciences graduate program, while covering important issues related to pursuing a career in science. There are many perceived benefits, so we encourage other training programs to include a similar type of regular activity in students’ training with the goal of improving trainee well-being and supporting their academic and research productivity.

INTRODUCTION

There is now a recognition that successful graduate training in the biomedical sciences requires not only scientific knowledge and research skills but also many “soft skills” (1–3). Therefore, it is imperative to equip our students with nontechnical skills to increase their competitiveness and help them advance in their careers. Team building, collaboration, and communication skills are fundamental practices needed to succeed in a scientific career regardless of the specific pathway chosen. To better promote these, our program developed a yearly interactive retreat among trainees, staff, faculty and invited external speakers.

Completion rates of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs in the United States and Canada are generally low. The average percentage of students who complete their degrees in 6 yr ranges from only 42% to 56% (4). Attrition rates for Ph.D. programs in the United States across different fields range from 36% to 51% (5), and the median time to degree in 2021 across all fields was 7.3 yr, with 6.5 yr specifically in the biological and biomedical sciences (6).

Research studies showcase “communication” as one of the most critical factors of any successful team (7). Scientists with solid communication skills can share ideas and knowledge more effectively, achieve broader dissemination, publish more articles, and obtain more funding. Communication is also a key element to promoting team building, as it helps develop trust, motivation, cohesion, and understanding among team members, which translates into increased productivity and achieved goals. By fostering our trainees’ communication skills, through our interactive retreat activities, we expect them to develop competencies that will contribute to the success of future team collaborations.

Scientific retreats have been held by many organizations, programs, and departments worldwide, in different disciplines, formats, contents, and lengths. Most have been conducted as hands-on workshops focused on a specific theme such as biology, cancer, neuroscience, or scientific writing, addressed through poster presentations and exhibits, data management and analysis, as well as structured practice sessions (8, 9).

Although some postulate that there is little empirical evidence confirming that scientific retreats lead to better science, there are also reports validating the many benefits obtained from them (10). Scientific retreats have been shown to be useful for stimulating interdisciplinary translational research collaborations and team science across academia and community partners (11). Other benefits include an increase in motivation and confidence in students that leads to professional growth and rise in number of publications. A practical understanding of teamwork and the value of networking, how to achieve a work-life balance, and the importance of transferable and nontechnical skills obtained from graduate education can also occur (10).

The Philosophy of Science Retreat is an annual event coordinated by the staff of the Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Graduate Training Program in Puerto Rico. PHSU is a private, bilingual university, located in Ponce, serving a largely Hispanic student population (99%) whose first language is Spanish. The RISE Program was implemented at our institution in 2008 as a developmental program. Funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health, it seeks to increase the capacity of underrepresented students in the biomedical sciences to complete Ph.D. degrees, advance to competitive postdoctoral positions, and enter productive research careers. Each year, 12 biomedical science predoctoral students are supported by our RISE program who, together with the staff and Internal Advisory Committee (IAC) members, comprise our 19-member RISE team.

Our first Philosophy of Science Retreat was held in 2013, in response to a request from RISE trainees to enhance interactions between RISE administration and trainees in a less formal atmosphere, as well as to boost cohesiveness among our team members, while covering important issues related to pursuing a career in science. We envisioned this activity as an opportunity to promote team building, collaboration, and communication skills in our students and a unique chance to reignite our trainees’ passion and enthusiasm for science, so they return to their studies and laboratories with a renewed sense of purpose and determination.

In this article, we share the outcomes from our retreats and feedback from our trainees regarding their perception of the overall benefits gained and future impact.

METHODS

From 2013 to 2019 and 2022 to 2023, toward the end of the spring semester (May/June) we organized a yearly retreat focused on enhancing students’ soft skills and professionalism. The retreats were held off-site in a secluded beach-front location over 1.5–2.0 days (∼17 contact hours). The venues were selected based on students’ preferences as well as recommendations from our IAC members. Importantly, the location afforded a conference room with an outdoor view, indoor and outdoor dining options, as well as surroundings of natural beauty that are known to contribute to better health and well-being (12).

The retreat themes over the years included the following: “Who Am I,” “Leadership: A Path to Independence,” “Assertive Communication: Key to Success,” “Career Diversity,” “Science and Wellness,” “How to Become a Science Ambassador,” “Managing Collaborations and Conflicts,” “Biomedical Entrepreneurship: the Basics for a Successful Science Business,” and “Promoting Wellness for Graduate Student Success” (Table 1). These topics were selected from feedback received from our trainees through written evaluations that included both Likert scale (1–5) and open questions and from feedback given by our IAC members during the retreat organization. Some themes, such as communication skills, were identified as areas in need of improvement that are assessed through data blitz and journal club presentations by trainees during the academic year. The retreat themes were addressed through short presentations, case studies, live podcasts, webinars, focus groups, role-play, and breakout sessions with various team building exercises to practice communication skills and identify abilities, knowledge, values, and behaviors (Table 2). Most of these activities effectively promote team building, communication, enhanced relationships, and learning to solve problems (13).

Table 1.

Summary of in-person retreat themes and objectives

Year	Retreat Theme	Learning Objectives
2013	Who Am I?	Explore leadership potential and style
		Develop an individual career development plan
		Understand different communication styles and how this affects teamwork
		Provide trainees with stress management techniques
2014	Leadership: a Path to Independence	Self-assess leadership competencies
		Describe leadership and understand its importance in science
		Identify abilities, knowledge, values, and behaviors that shape leaders
		Recognize and create opportunities to gain leadership experience
		Foster teamwork and cooperation while getting to know classmates better
2015	Assertive Communication: Key to Success	Self-assess communication styles Improve communication skills Describe assertive communication and understand its importance for scientists
2016	Career Diversity: What to Do with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences?	Expose trainees to diverse career paths for biomedical Ph.D. holders Help trainees to assess the skills and knowledge they might need to develop for the job market Provide trainees with valuable information related to different work scenarios Provide inspiration by sharing guest speakers’ own personal stories and career pathways
2017	Science and Wellness	Promote holistic wellness Provide trainees with valuable information related to wellness resources Explore healthier life tools that will help trainees succeed in their academic, personal, and professional life Help trainees self-reflect about their current practices for wellness Encourage trainees to identify additional resources to ensure their well-being Share our faculties own personal approaches for wellness
2018	How to Become a Science Ambassador	Provide trainees with tools to communicate effectively Provide trainees with projection tools to communicate assertively Encourage trainees to use social media to communicate their science Help trainees self-reflect about their communication skills strengths and weaknesses Provide trainees with the experience to explain their science to their relatives
2019	Managing Collaborations and Conflicts	Review the concepts “collaboration” and “conflict” Understand why collaboration is an important part of research Discuss characteristics to establish and maintain successful productive scientific collaborations Provide strategies for preventing and resolving conflicts within collaborations Review challenges and potential conflicts in any collaborative effort Identify available collaboration opportunities
2022	Biomedical Entrepreneurship: the Basics for a Successful Science Business	Provide the foundational concepts of biomedical entrepreneurship Review useful biomedical entrepreneurship skill sets to succeed Discuss some challenges faced by business ventures in the biomedical sector (case studies) Review the entrepreneurial mindset in problem-solving, project and budget management, and team building
2023	Promoting Wellness for Graduate Student Success	Promote holistic wellness Provide trainees with valuable information related to wellness resources Explore healthier life tools that will help trainees succeed in their academic, personal, and professional life Help trainees self-reflect about their current practices for wellness Encourage trainees to identify additional resources to ensure their well-being Share our faculties own personal approaches for wellness

Table 2.

Summary of in-person retreat activities and presentations

Year	Retreat Theme	Activities	Presentations by Faculty/Speakers
2013	Who Am I?	Focus group: Personal exploration and discovery Case studies: ethics, mentoring, communication, and lab management Team building games: puzzles, sort the newspaper, hula ring, ball toss Wellness activities: salsa dance lesson, yoga practice and meditation	• Communication Styles Inventory (RISE faculty) • Assessing Personality Traits that Impact Success (clinical psychologist) • Individual Development Plan (RISE faculty) • Personality Traits That Impact Success (clinical psychologist) • Relaxation/Stress Management (yoga instructor/architect)
2014	Leadership: a Path to Independence	Case studies: What would you do? Team building games: team tower, bingo, charades Wellness activities: values auction	• To Lead or not to Lead: I’m a Grad Student, so Who Cares? (RISE faculty) • Leadership Competencies Indicator (RISE faculty) • Demystifying Creativity: More Perspiration than Inspiration (RISE faculty) • Leadership: A Path to Success (Executive Director) • Situational leadership (RISE faculty)
2015	Assertive Communication: Key to Success	Role-play: How to project during a professional or postdoctoral interview Podcast hands-on Team building games: blinded drawing following directions, Pictionary Wellness activities: merengue and salsa workshop	• Use of Technology to Communicate (consultant, computer science) • Relevance of Communication as Directly Related to Personal, Academic, and Professional Formation (RISE faculty) • How to Communicate Science through a Podcast (engineer, musician) • How We Communicate through Dancing (professional dancers) • Assertive Communication in Application (clinical psychologist)
2016	Career Diversity: What to Do with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences?	Student presentations: Career options for PhDs in Biomedical Sciences Team building games: spaghetti-marshmallow tallest tower, sheet of paper step-through Wellness activities: my favorite T-shirt icebreaker, stress management workshop	• Work-Life Balance: It’s Not All about Science (pathology lab supervisor) • Beyond the Academy: Ph.D. Clinical Careers (RISE faculty) • How can You Become an Entrepreneur? (biotech president) • I’m a Ph.D. Now What? (grants program director, foundation) • Policy Making (CEO, PR Science Technology and Research Trust) • Understanding the Biomedical Industry (biotech president)
2017	Science and Wellness	Student presentations: Identifying Resources for Wellness in Your Community Team building games: index card tower, blinded drawing pen on string Wellness activities: rise & shine with aroma yoga, evening beach walk with meditation	• The Basics of Wellness (RISE faculty) • Managing your Wellness with a Mental Health Professional (psychiatrist) • Integrating Mindfulness in your Everyday Life (psychologist) • Wellness Promotion and Resilience (homeopathic physician) • Managing Stress with Relaxation and Meditation (yoga instructor)
2018	How to Become a Science Ambassador	Student presentations: Communicating Science to My Family Team building games: spaghetti/marshmallow tower, puzzles exchange, rope game, read all instructions first game, back-to-back drawings Wellness activities: Family Q&A session	• The Importance of Becoming a Science Ambassador (RISE faculty) • Why Science Communication Is an Essential Skill (journalist) • The Biology of Communication (journalist) • Science in 140 Characters (journalist) • Projection Tools (professional actress)
2019	Managing Collaborations and Conflicts	Case studies: think, pair, share Team building games: games stations, build a card tower with folded eyes Wellness activities: balloons “letting go everything that stops me”	• Defining and Establishing Collaborations in Science • A Look at my Personality Characteristics and Traits • Skills for Conflict Resolution • Challenges and Potential Conflicts in Collaborative Efforts • Collaborative Stress Relief Session • Application of Skills in Conflict Management: Transforming Our Environment
2022	Biomedical Entrepreneurship: the Basics for a Successful Science Business	Student presentations Entrepreneur Working Groups Team building activities: back-to-back drawings, spaghetti/marshmallow tower, robotic team, pass through paper challenge	• Biomedical Entrepreneurship: How to Start Up! • Student Entrepreneur Working Teams • Budget Principles for Biomedical Entrepreneurs • Case Studies (RISE faculty) • Characteristics/Skills of a Successful Biomedical Entrepreneur • Entrepreneur Working Group Presentations
2023	Promoting Wellness for Graduate Student Success	Student presentations: Identifying Wellness Resources in Your Community Team building games: stress balls, birthday line-up, cards and castles, swift swap Wellness activities: Beach Walk, Qigong session, Painting workshop	• The Basics of Wellness (RISE faculty) • Managing Your Wellness with a Mental Health Professional (psychologist) • LiberArte-Painting Workshop (professional artist) • Beach Walk (qiqong) (psychologist and holistic therapist) • That’s a Stretch! (qigong session)(psychologist and holistic therapist) • Nutrition Self Care (nutritionist and dietitian)

Before the retreat, participants were provided with the complete agenda (example in Supplemental Fig. S1; see https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24230938). Attendance was mandatory, and some activities required minimal preparation ahead of the retreat. Relevant articles, books, and case studies were also provided. Trainees gave short presentations and served as discussion leaders on topics related to the main theme of the retreat. Team building exercises and interactive activities accompanied the sessions. Guest speakers with expertise in the retreat theme gave invited talks and participated in discussion sessions with the students. Evening sessions were balanced by one longer unscheduled afternoon (3–4 h) when trainees were able to relax and engage in outdoor group activities on their own. Evaluations were completed by all trainees, and some of the participating IAC members, at the end of each retreat on both general aspects (Table 3) as well as speaker-specific feedback (n = 10–17 respondents/retreat).

Table 3.

Summary of in-person retreat evaluations

Evaluation Statement	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2022	2023	Avg.	SD
Hotel and retreat facilities were adequate.	5.00	4.88	4.88	3.60	5.00	5.00	5.00	4.83	5.00	4.80	0.45
Meals and breaks were adequate.	4.59	5.00	4.88	4.90	4.87	4.58	4.58	4.42	4.92	4.75	0.21
The duration of the retreat was adequate.	3.88	4.81	4.94	4.30	5.00	4.83	4.67	4.50	4.92	4.65	0.37
Materials provided were adequate.	4.88	4.88	4.76	4.70	5.00	4.75	4.92	4.92	5.00	4.87	0.11
The retreat theme was interesting and provided me with valuable insight.	5.00	4.94	4.94	4.70	4.87	4.50	4.92	4.67	5.00	4.84	0.17
The retreat activities were well organized and coordinated.	5.00	5.00	4.88	4.60	5.00	4.83	4.83	5.00	5.00	4.90	0.14
The retreat exercises encouraged positive interactions and honest feedback/participation.	5.00	4.94	4.94	4.60	5.00	4.82	5.00	4.92	5.00	4.91	0.13
The retreat experience increased my sense of belonging to the RISE team.	5.00	4.81	4.88	4.30	4.80	5.00	4.83	4.83	5.00	4.83	0.22
Attending this retreat significantly enriched my professional development.	4.82	4.88	4.88	4.40	4.73	4.67	5.00	4.75	5.00	4.79	0.19
I will likely use or apply what I learned in this retreat in the next several months.	4.59	4.81	4.88	4.40	4.80	4.58	5.00	4.58	5.00	4.74	0.21
After attending this retreat, I feel energized, determined and have a renewed sense of purpose.	5.00	4.56	4.76	3.90	4.67	4.75	4.83	4.25	4.83	4.62	0.34
Overall, participating in this retreat was a productive and beneficial experience.	5.00	5.00	5.00	4.30	4.93	4.92	5.00	4.83	5.00	4.89	0.23

All statements were scored with a Likert scale of 1–5 where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree. RISE, Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement.

In 2020 and 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and advice from our advisory committee, we conducted virtual retreats in lieu of canceling entirely. The overall duration of these retreats was much shorter, being spread over two half-days (∼5.5 h contact time per retreat), with several breaks and interactive activities, and were conducted entirely via the Zoom platform (Ref. 14; sample agenda in Supplemental Fig. S2). The theme of Career Diversity was repeated in 2020, as it continues to be an area of importance and the trainees were not part of our program in 2016 when this was originally addressed (15). For 2021, in line with the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education commitment to promote healthier responses and resilient behaviors during the Coronavirus pandemic, and requests from our trainees, we selected the theme of Steps to Become a More Resilient Scientist, which had some overlap in content with that of 2017 (Table 4). Evaluations and feedback were collected from all trainees.

Table 4.

Summary of virtual retreat themes and objectives

Year	Retreat Theme	Learning Objectives
2020	Career Diversity: Navigating the Path to a Biomedical Science Career	Expose trainees to diverse career paths for biomedical Ph.D. holders Help trainees to think about the skills and knowledge that they might need to develop for the job market Provide trainees with valuable information related to different work scenarios Provide inspiration by sharing guest speakers’ own personal stories and career pathways
2021	Steps to Become a More Resilient Scientist	Provide trainees with tools to improve their resilience Help trainees recognize the stressors and signs of stress in their own life Provide trainees with valuable information on how to overcome impostor syndrome Enhance trainee general wellness

A thematic analysis of the qualitative data was conducted to interpret the open-ended questions on the evaluation survey. An independent evaluator collaborated in the data analysis, which was made with the six-phase conceptual framework proposed by Braun and Clarks (16). Two different analyses were undertaken, one for the in-person retreat and another for the virtual retreat. All of the cohorts answered the same questions: 1) Comments about the overall organization (and facilities for the in-person retreats), 2) What did you enjoy most of the retreat, and 3) Suggestions to improve retreat and additional comments. Each comment was read at least twice for quality assurance and categorized by verbatim. NVivo 12 software was used to categorize and name the final themes/subcategories and their percentage of frequency.

All activities were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Ponce Health Sciences University. The IRB exempted the study from informed consent since the subjects could not be identified and no personal information was collected. The participants were not recruited since the study was part of their training under the educational activities of their fellowship.

RESULTS

From 2013–2019 and 2022–2023, a total of 48 trainees, 12 RISE Program faculty and staff, 6 former trainees in their capacity as the student IAC member, and 26 external speakers from industry, academia, media/journalism, the arts, psychology, nonprofit organizations, and holistic medical fields participated in the in-person retreats. The average overall benefit of all the retreats was rated 4.80 (0.17) on a Likert scale of 1–5 by trainees, where 5 = strongly agree, with almost all participants agreeing that the experience was productive and beneficial, with a good balance between talks and hands-on activities each year.

Individual retreat evaluations for each year ranged from 4.97 in 2023 to a somewhat lower score of 4.39 in 2016 (Fig. 1). A detailed analysis of the individual components revealed that the highest ranked questions were “Overall, participating in this retreat was a productive and beneficial experience,” “The retreat exercises encouraged positive interactions and honest feedback/participation,” “Hotel, facilities were adequate,” “Duration of retreat was adequate,” “Materials provided were adequate,” and “The retreat activities were well organized and coordinated,” which were ranked 5/5 in several different years (Table 3).

Figure 1.

Overall average score for evaluations obtained each year for in-person retreats.

When we examined the individual yearly evaluations, our 2015 (Assertive Communication), 2017 (Science and Wellness), 2019 (Collaborations), and 2023 (Promoting Wellness) retreats scored the highest results, and these are particularly relevant since promoting communications skills, networking, and a culture of wellness is part of our RISE program goals. Components of our 2017 retreat, which may have contributed to its success, included the session “Managing your Wellness with a Mental Health Professional,” which gave our 12 trainees the opportunity to talk about their stressors privately with a psychiatrist; a talk about mindfulness in their everyday life by a clinical psychologist, which reminded them of the importance to be aware of the present; yoga and meditation sessions given by a wellness instructor; and a guided beach walk after dinner with breathing exercises and guided visualizations. Similarly for the 2023 retreat, we received many comments on how useful the mental health session was and the suggestion to “incorporate activities related to wellness in future retreats regardless of the main theme.” Our 2015 retreat included activities such as role-playing and podcasts to enhance trainees’ assertive communication, whereas the 2019 retreat featured interactive sessions to develop skills in managing collaborations and resolving conflicts.

The lowest-ranked feedback was for our 2016 (Career Diversity: What to Do with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences) retreat. On attempting to dissect out the reasons why and examine in detail the overall components of the 2016 retreat, and the feedback received from our trainees, we found that one of the main differences appeared to be the number of speakers and talks given. In 2016 we invited five external guest speakers, who gave a total of six talks, to provide the trainees with as much information as possible regarding different career fields. This strategy apparently backfired and resulted in less time for interactive activities/games, which are a component that they particularly enjoy. It perhaps also led to a feeling of fatigue and information overload. The following comments were obtained from students: “Organization of the retreat can be improved. For example, it would be better to make the retreat until 6:00 PM because after that the focus of the attention got lost,” “I think there should be a balance between the interactive activities and the seminars because so many hours sitting in the conference sometimes gets a little boring,” “In my opinion, the retreat needs to be from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. For the presentations after 7:00 PM I got out of focus, so personally I was not paying attention”. Other comments related to weak internet in the facilities and noises from other activities that were taking place in adjacent conference rooms, which, although out of our control, point to the importance of the seclusion of the location.

One of the most significant activities that we have held over the years was a session titled “Communicating Science to My Family” (2018). Family members from our students were invited to this 2-h session, which took place on the final morning of the retreat, where trainees gave a short presentation on their science in a simple manner that could be understood by the nonscientific public. It was very inspiring for parents and relatives to glimpse what the trainees were researching and their contribution to science, and to ask questions in a welcoming atmosphere. For the trainees it was harder than expected to formulate their message in an understandable way for the lay public.

Thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified three themes with subcategories: Organization and Facilities, Positive Aspects, and Improvement Suggestions (Table 5). An overview of trainees’ comments suggests that the retreats are an excellent opportunity for building connections and group cohesion, supporting work-life balance, and gaining confidence (Fig. 2). Additional free-form comments from the trainees indicated that they particularly enjoyed being able to share time and interact in a more personal manner with RISE Program faculty, staff, and fellow trainees. Participants expressed that the retreats allowed them to gain a better perspective of their strengths and weaknesses and how they “fit” into the RISE community. They also appreciated having the opportunity to learn soft skills, such as interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and leadership, which enhance their preparation for a career in science. Trainees stated that the retreats provided them with the motivation and inspiration to reach their scientific and personal goals. They enjoyed getting to know their peers better as well as reflecting on their flaws and how to improve them. They also reported that team dynamics and activities helped them to develop additional skills for working in teams.

Table 5.

In-person retreat thematic analysis

Theme	Subcategory	Frequency by Subcategory
Organization and facilities (n = 117)	Great organization Great facilities and location Recommendations	84/117 = 72% 82/117 = 70% 21/117 = 18%
Positive aspects (n = 122)	Self-discovery and wellness Speaker talks and seminars Nonacademic interactive activities Connecting with faculty and peers	50/122 = 41% 41/122 = 34% 42/122 = 34% 27/122 = 22%
Improvement suggestions (n = 193)	Future retreat suggestions No suggestions and positive comments Schedule modifications Speakers and resources New location	58/193 = 30% 47/193 = 24% 38/193 = 20% 25/193 = 13% 14/193 = 7%

Figure 2.

Representative feedback comments obtained from participants of the in-person retreats.

To our surprise, the overall benefit for our 2020 Virtual Retreat was rated 4.75 on the Likert scale, and students’ feedback was very positive, as can be observed in Fig. 3. The overall benefit for our 2021 Virtual Retreat was rated 4.67 on the Likert scale, and although students’ feedback was very positive, the following comments showed their desire to return to holding the retreats in person: “The retreat was good overall. I hope that the next retreat will be face to face” and “To the RISE Program, thank you so much for this retreat, thanks to everyone for listening to the students, and your concern about our well-being. Everybody is in the same boat, but together we can help each other. I hope the next retreat will be in person.” Thematic analysis of the qualitative data for the virtual retreats identified two themes with subcategories: Positive Aspects and Improvement Suggestions (Table 6). More than half of the participants (52%) identified the interactive activity as the most enjoyable element, despite the virtual scenario.

Figure 3.

Summary of evaluations and participant feedback obtained for the virtual retreats held in 2020 and 2021.

Table 6.

Virtual retreat thematic analysis

Theme	Subcategory	Frequency by Subcategory
Positive aspects (n = 29)	Interactive activities Organized Topic discussed Connecting with faculty and peers	15/29 = 52% 11/29 = 38% 10/29 = 34% 5/29 = 17%
Improvement suggestions (n = 10)	No suggestions and positive comments Schedule	4/10 = 40% 3/10 = 30%

DISCUSSION

There are many factors that impact completion rates in Ph.D. programs, including funding opportunities, lack of support from institutions, lack of personal support, stressors related to graduate life, as well as the student-advisor relationship, mentorship, and the dissertation process (5). Other factors include lack of involvement in programmatic, departmental, institutional, and professional activities and opportunities and social isolation from other students in the programs (17). Thus, programs are trying to address this by implementing different interventions/practices/strategies, such as tutoring, mentoring, funding opportunities, workshops, career seminars, and networking opportunities, that have proven to be successful (18, 19).

In addition, this new generation of scientists will most likely pursue a career outside academia, as academic positions continue to be fewer than the number of graduates each year (20). As such, it is imperative that trainees be provided with the necessary transferable skills to enhance their competitiveness in other fields such as industry, policy making, communications, law, militia, etc. It is our obligation as mentors and trainers to help prepare them for a greater diversity of career options (21, 22). Our annual Philosophy of Science Retreat outcomes demonstrate that this endeavor represents an ideal opportunity to equip our students with skills, not usually covered in their didactic curriculum, that will help them face the challenges of their doctoral training as well as the transition to their professional life afterward. Follow-up with alumni who attended the retreats revealed that they felt that the retreats had a variety of beneficial impacts including “incorporated valuable skills and concepts that I use even after completing my Ph.D.,” “these interactions made me more comfortable in reaching out to others when I needed advice and support,” “working out of academia… have helped me create better work relationships and tackle problems or situations faster,” and “the casual environment and useful information offered in the retreats helped us to improve our communication, recognize everyone’s needs, and accept individual differences. Undoubtedly, these activities promoted long-lasting friendly and positive relationships with mentors and coworkers.”

We specifically designed many of the activities to require the trainees to “team up” for group presentations, case study discussions, interactive activities, and games that involved constant communication and collaboration. By getting to know each other better, working together, giving and receiving honest feedback, building trust, and even gathering during their free time for table games or outdoor sports, they cultivate relationships, create connections, increase their peer support, and develop a sense of belonging to the student body (23).

Student comments focused on enjoyment and benefits of the group activities, being able to discuss and process material in an environment outside that of the normal laboratory situation, particularly in a more informal and relaxed atmosphere to gain insight and viewpoints from faculty and their peers. Consonant with findings in other retreat articles (24, 25), our students have been consistent in highlighting that one of the greatest benefits obtained from this activity is getting to know each other better and learn about their peers’ personalities. This allowed them to connect as a group, feel more comfortable, and develop better chemistry. Sharing group meals, learning, and interacting have helped them think more deeply about how to deal with circumstances that occur in the laboratory through better communication and collaboration among the team members and have been used successfully within our institution in individual laboratories (26).

After each retreat, participants had the opportunity to provide their improvement suggestions or additional comments. Feedback from students related to schedule modifications emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between information and activities to avoid information overload, which is also a related factor for burnout (27, 28). Originally, we included talks after dinner in our agenda, which resulted in suggestions from students to either shorten the duration of the retreat and end it by dinner time or provide interactive activities after dinner to make it more lively and joyful. The latter was implemented in retreats after 2016. Analysis of student feedback helped us better understand the importance of balancing these two components (talks and interactive activities/games), to make the retreats more dynamic and interesting. Other suggestions included providing more printed materials and innovative technology use and to identify dynamic speakers who capture attention whenever possible.

Our findings suggest that things that work very well for our annual retreats are the secluded beach-front location, which provides a relaxing and rejuvenating environment particularly well suited for mindfulness type activities, and a mixture of guest speaker talks, student presentations, short coffee breaks (morning and afternoon), interactive activities/games, and free time. Sharing rooms and forcing students to change their seating positions daily have also been key in helping us to better integrate trainees from different levels (juniors and seniors) and laboratories, who do not usually have the chance to share with each other daily and build overall cohesiveness. A well-balanced agenda, with no more than two or three guest speakers giving 1-h talks with an emphasis on active learning, various interactive activities, and free time have also been successful. Programmed free time during the retreat gives the participants the opportunity to interact and conduct outdoor activities such as sports (soccer, volleyball, water sports) or gather at the pool or beach with mentors and staff. This is one of the periods when the most informal interactions occur, solidifying the bonding experience. Buffet-style meals are also a great opportunity for everyone to share in a less formal atmosphere while creating connections. These best practices are summarized in Fig. 4.

Figure 4.

Summary of best practices for holding a successful interactive off-site retreat.

We have also learned that variety in the type of hands-on activities given is key, and over the years we have had the participation of very diverse speakers ranging from role-playing by professional actors to enhance communication skills to mock podcasts by sound engineers and dancing classes from professional artists. Role-play has been a successful approach to developing skills in active listening, problem-solving, working as a team, and communicating effectively (29). To practice these skills and consolidate them, we followed up with activities throughout the regular academic year. For example, a professional actress who was an invited guest speaker for one of our retreats also provided a second follow-up exercise during the academic year. Similarly, students were exposed to mock and recorded interviews by a publicist, a professional counselor, as well as a TV host, to promote communication skills during the academic semester.

Our annual retreats have traditionally been held at the end of the academic semester (May/June). However, at this time several trainees are usually about to rotate off our program as they transition to other fellowships or reach the maximum years allowed on the grant. To promote cohesion of the group and a sense of belonging, it might be preferable to conduct the retreats earlier in the academic year, but timing around classes and exams is problematic.

The use of the virtual retreats during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging to organize, and the dynamic was very different. However, feedback from our trainees showed that we were still able to achieve some of our aims. The highly rated overall benefit for each retreat demonstrates that virtual retreats, albeit constrained by certain parameters, can also be a useful tool to promote team building, enhance relationships, and support each other (30). Taking into consideration “zoom fatigue” and the absence of a change in environment, we reduced the number of guest speakers to only three. After conducting nine retreats in person and two virtually, we have learned much regarding the advantages and disadvantages of both modalities (Table 7). Among the advantages of a virtual retreat, we found that 1) safety was promoted during these difficult times; 2) logistical planning was easier, with lower costs; 3) duration was shorter; and 4) guest speakers from the mainland United States who otherwise could not have traveled because of restrictions could participate. On the other hand, some of the disadvantages included 1) no face-to face interactions and camaraderie; 2) intermittent internet connection issues; 3) home distractions/interruptions; 4) limited team building and cohesion; 5) few informal interactions; 6) zoom fatigue/burnout; and 7) no change of environment. The culture of warmth that we usually convey to each other by hugging, gathering during meals and free time, and playing games was noticeably absent. To keep striving toward our goal to reenergize our trainees and team, our experience demonstrates that the best scenario is a secluded, fresh-air, off-site environment that fosters stronger teams, in line with recent studies emphasizing the beneficial wellness effects of social interactions and environmental factors. Although a hybrid format with participation of an external speaker via Zoom could potentially lessen costs and simplify logistics, this requires further exploration (31).

Table 7.

Virtual vs. in-person retreat

Advantages	Disadvantages
Safety concerns alleviated Logistical planning easier and lower costs Shorter duration Participation of more external speakers	No face-to-face interaction and camaraderie Intermittent technology issues Home distractions/interactions Limited team building Few informal interactions Zoom fatigue No change of environment

There has been plenty of discussion on the importance of providing students with opportunities to learn and develop “soft/nontechnical/transferable skills” such as communication and team building skills (32). Outcomes from our yearly retreat show that this activity represents a great opportunity for our trainees to practice and develop these relevant and much-valued skills. Our results show that participants found this to be a productive and beneficial activity that has encouraged positive interactions and honest feedback among trainees and faculty mentors. Students reported getting to know each other better, gaining a sense of belonging to our RISE team, as well as confidence and trust in our commitment to support them. We also believe that, because of our efforts to promote team building, communication, and collaboration skills, we are indirectly addressing factors that impact the challenges faced by many graduate students, such as burnout, the imposter syndrome, student-mentor relationships, lack of personal support, and others. In short, the benefits of adding an interactive retreat as an annual activity in the curriculum of graduate training programs can be summarized as follows:

• 1)Provides a tool to equip students with skills needed to succeed in their graduate and professional lives, as well as in different fields besides academia.
• 2)Helps address factors related to student dropout, thus lessening attrition rates.
• 3)Suggests healthy practices and coping skills for students to model.
• 4)Reminds participants of the importance of work-life balance.

Therefore, we encourage other training programs to include a similar type of regular activity in students’ training with the goal of improving trainee well-being and supporting their academic and research productivity.

In conclusion, off-site interactive science-related retreats are a valuable tool for enhancing soft skills and sense of team identity in a biomedical sciences graduate program, while covering important issues related to pursuing a career in science.

DATA AVAILABILITY

Data will be made available upon reasonable request.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

Supplemental Figs. S1 and S2: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24230938.

GRANTS

Research reported in this publication was supported by NIGMS, National Institutes of Health under Award Nos. R25GM082406 and T32GM144896.

DISCLAIMERS

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

DISCLOSURES

No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the authors.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

J.T.P., V.R.-A., and C.B.A. conceived and designed research; J.M.S. and C.B.A. analyzed data; J.T.P. and C.B.A. interpreted results of experiments; J.M.S. and C.B.A. prepared figures; J.M.S. drafted manuscript; J.M.S., J.T.P., V.R.-A., and C.B.A. edited and revised manuscript; J.M.S., J.T.P., V.R.-A., and C.B.A. approved final version of manuscript.